Unearthly
by wordstomyears
Summary: It's been almost one year since the events of the Upside Down. And things are about to get only stranger for the town of Hawkins. Will Reagan Harrington manage to keep her life intact while a shadowy evil looms over Hawkins, and none other than Will Byers? Sequel to Uncanny.
1. Thriller

**A/N: WE ARE BACK! Who enjoyed season 2? If you haven't watched it yet, I highly suggest watching it before reading the sequel before spoilers are ahead obviously and yeah. Anyways, please enjoy.**

* * *

The sound of police sirens rang in the distance. It was hard to focus in a city like this. People never slept and crime was hard to control, especially when some of the people committing those crimes were in the room with her.

"Do it." She was urged. The girl frowned, her green eyes settling on the man before her. She knew what she was supposed to do here, and what she was expected to do. The others weren't like her. They weren't like Kali. And Kali could only do so much.

The rest was up to her.

His television was still on, playing a song that she was unfamiliar with. It was some recent pop song that had gained popularity, especially around Halloween. But the song gave her an idea and she knew what she was going to do. Fear had always been what she was best at. She knew she could terrify him. The only problem was whether or not she had the guts to do so.

The girl placed her hand on the man's forehead while he was being pinned down. It took an immediate reaction with him. His body began shivering, his eyes growing wide in terror. His breathing sped up, and she could feel his heart race underneath her hand. He was shaking. He was terrified.

But it wasn't enough. She met his eyes, seeing as he tensed up and began screaming. His screams were so loud it shook the room. He screamed as if he was being tortured. She bit her lip, trying not to think about his screams. She closed her eyes, a bit of blood dripping down from her nose.

"PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! MERCY!" He screamed out. At first, she thought he was begging her for mercy. But it didn't take long for her to recognize the wedding ring on his finger. She opened her eyes and blinked slowly. It wasn't hard for her to use her abilities and piece it together. She could tell.

She flinched as his screams became too much for her. "Finish it!" She was ordered but the girl stopped. She couldn't finish this. The girl released her hand from the man. She turned back, lunging her hand towards Kali. She took a hold of the other girl's shoulder. "What are you doing?" Kali hissed, tears forming in her eyes instantly at the girl's touch. Her green eyes bore into hers. Kali struggled to release her hand, tears threatening to escape. "Stop– stop it!" She pushed her back, a tear running down her face.

"I warned you–" Her hand came up and the girl's green eyes went wide. She knew what happened next. With one struck, everything went black and she dropped onto the ground unconscious.

Kali stared down at her in anger. "Get her." Kali instructed, just as an alarm went off in the building. Someone must have heard them and reported the break-in. It meant that they didn't have much time to get out of there and escape without being caught. But getting caught was not an option, not when there was still work to do.

The girl was picked up, her arm dangling in the air, revealing a small tattoo on the inside of her wrist.

 _009_.

* * *

"For no mere mortal can resist– the _evil_ of the thriller!" Reagan squealed as she launched herself at Will. "Reagan!" The boy protested as she wrapped his arms around her, lifting him up into the air. Will chuckled, still struggling against the girl as she shook him around. Reagan let out a low and sinister laugh, attempting to scare the boy. She eventually let him down, and Will went back to the security of the sofa. He aimed his eyes at his television,"You're ruining my favorite part." He argued.

Reagan went to sit next to the boy,"Your favorite part is when the zombies surround them?" She questioned. "Shh." He insisted, a grin growing on his face when his favorite part came up in the music video. "That's my favorite part. Look! He's a zombie." Will stood up and pointed at Michael Jackson on the screen. Reagan nodded her head, "Zombie boy?" She asked, and he frowned. Will nodded his head a little, going to sit back down. She wanted to talk to him about it, knowing that kids could be cruel, especially in middle school. But before she got a chance to, Will changed the subject.

"Can you do the dance?"

She made a face at the boy. "Again?" Reagan asked and he nodded his head eagerly up at her. "Fine." She sounded like she was complaining, but Reagan supporting a huge grin on her face. Will stood up, quickly helping Reagan move some furniture out of the way so she would have room to dance. "Hurry, it's starting!" Will urged and Reagan waved at him to sit down before taking her place.

The girl began the dance, popping her right shoulder like he does in the music video. Will chuckled, watching as Reagan executed the dance perfectly. Reagan matched the facial expressions which caused Will to laugh more at her.

" _'Cause this is thriller!_ " Reagan sang along with the music, continuing in her dance moves. While she was dancing, the front door was unlocked, revealing Jonathan as he came home from work. He dropped his bag at his feet and kicked off his shoes, walking down the hall to see Reagan's little performance. Reagan finished the dance, only noticing his boyfriend when he began clapping along with his little brother.

He watched as her face turn red, and Reagan rushed to shut off the television. "Hey!" Will protested. "You should be getting to bed or else I'll tell your mom and she won't let you go to the arcade tomorrow night." She warned, though her threat was practically meaningless given the fact Reagan would never do that to Will. Not to mention, she was the one who said he could stay up late. "I'm going." Will said, raising his hands in the air as he got off the sofa. He moved down the hall, Jonathan ruffing his hair as he moved past him.

Jonathan looked over at Reagan,"He's still awake, why?" He asked as he entered his living room. "He wanted to watch Thriller. And who was I to stop him?" She said as Jonathan wrapped his arms around her waist. She leaned up, placing her hands on his shoulder as she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "How was work?" Reagan questioned. Jonathan sighed,"Fine. How was Will?" He asked. "Fine." She told him. Jonathan raised a brow, and Reagan sighed as well.

"I was going to ask him how he was... but I don't know. I think that might be the last thing he needs right now." Reagan admitting, moving away from Jonathan's embrace to clean up the living room. She began moving furniture back to where it was. "You know, if something's wrong, the first person he talks to is either you or me." He pointed out, lending a hand in helping her. Reagan paused, looking over at him,"If something's wrong, the first person he talks to Mike." She mentioned. Jonathan narrowed his eyes, thinking about it before nodding his head in agreement.

She finished putting everything back in place and then checked her wristwatch. "I should go. It's getting late." Reagan pointed out. He nodded his head,"Yeah, my mom left me the money she owes you for tonight..." Jonathan trailed off, reaching for his wallet. He took out his wallet, reaching in for the money before handing it to her. Reagan took it, moving to put it away in her bag. Jonathan watched her,"Reagan–" He called, getting her attention as she put her money away. She stood up and looked over at him.

"You could– you know... spend the night. If you wanted to." He offered. She smiled,"Jonathan, I can't–" "You can. Come on, you've done it before." He reminded her, reaching and taking both of her hands in his. Reagan blushed a little and nodded her head. "I remember." She admitted. "But that was different. Besides, I have homework." She said, trying to move away but Jonathan wrapped his arms around his waist again.

He shushed her, pressing his lips against hers. Reagan kissed him back, but pulled away went he went to deepen the kiss. "Jonathan, I really have to go." She protested, trying to wiggle her way out of his arms. Jonathan smirked, keeping his hands on her but moving behind her. He lifted her up, which made her squeal. "Jonathan!" Reagan called out as he carried her off to his room. He entered his room, kicking his bedroom door closed before setting her down on his bed.

Reagan started to sit up, but Jonathan stopped her by climbing on top of her. "You're staying." He breathed out, a little out of breath. She chuckled, rolling her eyes. "I mean... it's a little hard to argue with you now considering the position we're in." She blushed a little, smiling up at him. Jonathan smiled right back at her,"So... you're staying?" Jonathan asked. Reagan reached up, placing her hand on the back of his neck. "I'm staying." She confirmed, pulling him in for a kiss.

* * *

While the two had managed to stay together for one night with no one in Jonathan's family finding out he had a girl sleeping over, the morning after was a little harder to manage. Jonathan was the first out the door, scouting the house up until the front door. It was clear of his mom and his brother, which meant it was safe for Reagan to leave undetected. He went back to his bedroom,"You ready?" He whispered.

"Almost." Reagan replied, buttoning up a shirt. Jonathan blinked,"Is that mine?" He wondered, studying her as she got dressed. She smiled nervously,"I don't know what you're talking about." Reagan clearly lied as she went over to give him a quick kiss. The girl exited his room, making her way to the front door. Jonathan caught up with her,"Wait–" He stopped her, pulling her in for another kiss before letting her go.

It was only when Reagan had shut the door that he realized his mother was watching.

Joyce was still in her pajamas, in fact, she was supporting a robe as she watched her son. She sipped a cup of coffee as she eyed Jonathan from the kitchen. He avoided eye contact, immediately embarrassed on what he was just caught doing. "You know, a mother always thinks about the day that she catches her son sneaking a girl out–" "Mom." He tried to stop her, knowing it was something he probably didn't want to hear. "Lord knows my mother had to deal with me sneaking a couple of boys out–" "Mom!" Jonathan urged.

The woman smirked,"What?" She asked. "I was young and in love once too. I know things." Joyce pointed out. "I'm– I'm not in love." Jonathan scratched the back of his neck nervously, still avoiding eye contact. Joyce furrowed her brows, walking over to her son and meeting his eyes. "Jonathan, never sleep with a girl if you're not in love with her." She scolded slightly. "But luckily, I know you do." Joyce said. He opened his mouth to say something but Joyce gave him a look. "No, none of that. You can fool yourself. You can even fool Reagan. But you can't fool me." She pointed at him. Joyce stared up at him.

"Though next time she sleeps over, you might want to get over yourself and tell her the truth." She pointed out, moving back into the kitchen. Jonathan thought about it, knowing that was something he was always afraid of saying to Reagan.

* * *

Steve rushed to finish his essay as he ate his breakfast. Reagan came down the stairs before entering her kitchen, taking a seat at the table next to her brother. She noticed what he was working on and she frowned. "Please don't tell me that's what I think it is." Reagan frowned. Steve rolled his eyes, munching down on a piece of toast.

"You know, not everyone can be as organized as you." Steve snapped, breaking his pencil in the middle of the sentence. "Damn!" He said, jumping onto his feet and looking around. "Where's my sharpener? Where's my sharpener? Where is my goddamn sharpener?" Steve wondered out loud, looking around the general area. Reagan shook her head as her mother appeared behind her, setting down a plate of toast and eggs in front of her. "Eat up. I'll drive you to work before school." Mrs. Harrington informed with a smile.

Reagan smiled up at her mother,"Thanks, Mom." She said, picking up her fork and diving into her breakfast. "Where the fuck is my sharpener?!" Steve yelled, running his hands through his hair. "Language!" Mrs. Harrington scolded her son, making herself a cup of coffee. "Shit, sorry, Mom." Steve apologized. Reagan leaned down, running her hand through her brother's bag before producing the sharpener. "You really shouldn't have left this last minute." She told him.

"You really shouldn't have left this last minute." Steve mocked in a high-pitched voice as he went to sit back down. He sharpened his pencil with an eye roll. "I'm sorry I can't be as brilliant as you, Reagan. I can't write an amazing essay and apply to Princeton and all of that bull–" "Steven. Language." His mother reminded him. Steve looked over at the woman and shook his head. "Sorry." He said, returning to his essay. "I just– I'll be lucky if I got a basketball scholarship, much less accepted at all." Steve mumbled which made Reagan frown.

She did feel bad for him, but he refused to let her help him with his applications. Steve insisted that her applications were enough to worry about considering she applying to practically all the the Ivy League schools across the the country. He refused to involve her in his business considering she herself was already so busy.

Their mother checked her wristwatch before looking over at Reagan. "We should get going in about ten. It's almost six." She warned. Reagan sighed, finishing her breakfast as fast as she could. By the time she was out of the door, Steve was still rushing to finish his essay.

* * *

Reagan nearly tripped on the way to her desk.

Luckily, Powell noticed and steadied her with his free hand. The officer took a sip of coffee before leaning over and taking half of the stack of files Reagan was carrying. "Flo has you organizing again?" Powell asked, making conversation as he made his way to Reagan desk, which was set close to Flo's. Reagan sighed,"Yeah." She said, setting her half of the stack on the desk, watching as Powell set the other half down. He smiled a little,"What decade is this from?" He questioned.

She smiled a little, rolling her eyes as she opened a file on top of the file. "Twenties." Reagan informed him. "Anything interesting?" Powell asked. Reagan shook her head,"Not really, but there was this girl. She went missing in the summer of twenty-three." She explained as she sat down. "Do they know what happened to her?" He asked. Reagan tried to remember where the file was in the pile she currently had on her desk, before bringing it out.

The girl opened it up, skimming through the police report. "No." Reagan finally answered, which almost made her upset. She studied the report, noting that the girl was close to her age. "Well, that's unfortunate. At least they found Will Byers, right?" Powell said and Reagan nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah." She agreed. "You know, maybe you should've been working here around that time. Things would've been at least a little more exciting." He said.

"I don't really care about exciting. I just know that working in a police station looks good on my application for school." She shrugged. Powell nodded,"You want to be a lawyer, right?" He asked her. Reagan smiled a little,"That's the next thing, yeah." She said. "The next thing?" Powell chuckled. Callahan stood up from his desk, moving to grab a donut from the box on the counter. "Don't you know that little Miss Harrington wants to be the president one day?" He said jokingly as he took a bite from a donut.

Reagan rolled his eyes at the man's mocking tone, returning to her paperwork. Powell gave Callahan a look before moving back to his own desk. "What?" Callahan asked, walking back to his desk. She began organizing the files, knowing they were stored improperly the first time they were put away and she was the only person who had touched them in years. She hadn't been working long when she heard the chief walk into the station, followed by a man who Hopper clearly wanted out of his sight.

"Yeah, I want a date with Bo Derek. We all wants things." Hopper said as Flo reached up and took the cigarette from his mouth. The chief took off his coat, facing away from the man who was talking to him. Reagan looked up, recognizing him as the journalist who came to the station every now and then. "This isn't a laughing matter, Jim." The man warned him. "This is serious, okay?" As soon as Hopper groaned, Reagan recognized the man as Murray Bauman.

He followed Hopper,"I really got something here. I'm telling you!" Murray urged. "Hey. Morning, Chief." Powell greeted the other man. "Morning." Hopper said back. Murray looked over at the other officer. "Morning, Murray." Powell grinned. "Got any proof on your butt-probing aliens yet, Murray?" Callahan teased, which made Powell laugh.

Flo took the donut out of Hopper's hands as soon as he reached for it, replacing it with a green apple. The older woman looked over to Reagan before moving over to her desk,"What did I say about leaving these out here?" She told her. Reagan sighed, standing up from her desk. She went over, moving past Murray to collect the box of donuts.

"I believe there was, and may very well still be a Russian spy presence in Hawkins." Murray said. "Russian spies!" Hopper exclaimed with a smirk, his mouth still full from the single bite he got from that donut. He poured himself a cup of coffee. "Sorry, Murray, are the spies in cahoots with the aliens? Or how do they fit in here? I'm confused." Callahan chuckled.

Murray ignored the officer,"I'm taking multiple reports now." He said, looking at Hopper. "Multiple reports, okay? Of a Russian child in Hawkins." He finished. Hopper looked over at him,"A child? What are you talking about?" He asked. "A girl who may have psionic abilities." Murray clarified. Reagan froze at the reminder of Eleven.

"Psionic?" Powell questioned. "Psychic." Murray explained. "Hey, chief, what about that girl that made that kid pee himself?" Callahan asked. "That was a prank." Hopper dismissed him. "What girl?" Murray questioned. "Wasn't a prank, a kid–" Hopper stopped Callahan before the officer could say anything more. "You got five minutes, not a second more." The man relented, looking to Murray.

He moved past him before stopping at Reagan. "Hey, kid, hand me a donut, will you?" Hopper asked her. Reagan held the box in her hands,"Flo said–" "Flo doesn't know what she's talking about. A donut." He said, looking at the box. "No." She told him. "Is this going to cut into my five minutes?" Murray questioned, staring at Reagan.

"Shut up." Hopper told him. "Reagan, a donut. Now." He demanded. Reagan shook her head,"Flo's right. You need to watch your health or else you're going to have a heart attack. Now shoo. Go talk with the wacko." She said, looking at Murray. He gave her a look,"I'm not a–" "Murray, let's go." Hopper gave up, moving to his office. The man quickly scurried after him.

Reagan put away the box of donuts in the kitchen, putting them in the place Flo reminded her that Hopper never checks. She then went back to her desk and picked up her backpack. "I'm off to school. I'll finish the rest of the paperwork after, okay?" She told her. Flo nodded her head.

Callahan stood up from his desk, moving over to Reagan. "You, uh– you need a ride?" He wondered, stuffing a hand into his pocket. She narrowed her eyes up at him,"You know I'm in high school, right?" She asked, recognizing his tone. Callahan chuckled nervously,"I–" He struggled to find the right words to say and Powell just laughed at him. "Don't take his none of his shit, Reagan." Powell told him. Reagan smirked a little,"My boyfriend's already hit you in the face. Don't really think you want a repeat of that, Phil." She pointed out, exiting the station.

"Well, you know I could– I could arrest... him." His tone dropped as Reagan was already out the door. Powell shook his head at the man walked back to his desk. Callahan rolled his eyes,"What?" He asked him. "She's a kid and she's out of your league." Powell chuckled at the man, making Callahan frown.

* * *

The car pulled into the school parking lot and Reagan swung her backpack over her shoulder as she went to get out of the car. "Hey, class doesn't start for another five minutes." Jonathan pointed out, trying to stop her before she ran off again. Reagan frowned apologetically,"I'm sorry, Jonathan, but I have to get to my locker before class. There's three books in there that I need for the day." She explained. Jonathan sighed,"And one of those books is Christine, right?" He asked. Reagan scrunched up his nose and Jonathan frowned at her. "Reagan, you promised." He pointed out.

"I know. I know. But we're not going to even watch it tonight, are we? I mean– Bob said no scary movies." She mentioned. Jonathan rolled his eyes,"Bob. Who cares what he thinks? Christine is not that scary." He said. Reagan chuckled a little,"Isn't it about a killer car?" She reminded him. Jonathan smirked a little, rolling his eyes. "Bob doesn't know that." He chuckled a little. "Give the guy a break, Jon. He's a nice guy. Your mom deserves a nice guy." She said.

Jonathan shrugged a little,"I– I realize that... but why does it have to be him? He's– he's Bob." He pointed out. She laughed,"And that's so bad? He's nice!" She told him. He nodded his head,"It's just– it's not who I thought she would end with, okay?" He said. Reagan smiled, opening her door and stepping out of his car.

"And who did you think she'd end up with? Hopper?" Reagan said, jokingly as Jonathan got out of his car. He shook his head with a sigh,"Let's just get to class, okay?" He said, and Reagan walked around his car to meet up with him. "Fine by me." She said with a smile as they began walking towards the school.

As they approached the front doors, someone had their eyes on Reagan. The new kid eyed her, but neither one of them took notice of Billy. Reagan pushed open the doors, laughing at something Jonathan said to her.


	2. Zombie Boy

**A/N: My sweet readers! My plan is to hopefully give you updates on all of my stories this holiday season, including the potential release of a new story. But first, I still have one exam to conquer before I am free of stress. I will hopefully make good on my promise though because I have been meaning to give you all some good updates. Anywho, please enjoy!**

* * *

"Hey, Nancy." Tina passed out one of her many orange flyers to the brunette as she stepped out of the classroom. Nancy looked down at her hand as the invitation was pressed into her hand. "Hey! Thanks." The girl said as she passed. Jonathan stepped out of the classroom right behind her and Nancy couldn't help but notice he wasn't passed a flyer. She read the contents before turning around,"Oh, could I get one more?"

Presuming it was for Steve, Tina smiled as she passed out another flyer. "Yeah, sure." She told her. Once Nancy had the flyer in her hands, she took only a few steps before she passed it over to Jonathan with a grin on her face. "You're coming to this." She insisted. "And you're bringing Reagan." Nancy decided.

He chuckled a little before reading the flyer. "Come and get sheet faced." Jonathan quoted before rolling his eyes and looking over at Nancy. "No, I'm not. And I'm not dragging Reagan to this while we could be spending our time together doing other things." He said. "What sort of other things?" Nancy questioned, making him a little squeamish at the sort of suggestive tone of voice she was using.

Nancy sighed,"Come on. I can't let you sit all alone Halloween. That's just not acceptable. A party will definitely pull Reagan out of her application stress." She tried to persuade him. "Well, you can relax. I'm not gonna be alone." Jonathan informed her. "You and Reagan already have plans?" She asked. He pursed his lips together,"No. I'm going trick-or-treating with Will." He explained.

"You've got to be kidding me, Jonathan. All night?" Nancy asked. He shrugged,"Yeah." He said unconvincingly. "No, no way. You're gonna be home by eight, listening to the Talking Heads and reading Vonnegut or something." She guessed. Jonathan smiled a little,"Sounds like a nice night." He said. She rolled her eyes,"Jonathan, just come. You'd have a nicer night with Reagan and you know that." She pointed out as she approached her locker.

Jonathan frowned a little,"Look, I know you're ri–" Before he could finish his sentence, Steve crept up behind Nancy and wrapped his arms around her waist. The girl shrieked as he lifted her up into the air. She whipped around to see her boyfriend wearing sunglasses. "Oh, my God! Take those stupid things off." She scolded. "I missed you." Steve said sweetly as he took off his sunglasses. "It's been like an hour." Nancy told him.

"Tell me about it." He said, putting his hand on the back of her neck and pulling her in for a kiss. Nancy kissed him with a smile before pulling away. "Okay. Okay, okay. God." She tucked her hair behind her ear as she opened her locker door. Steve apologized as Nancy turned her head to see Jonathan had already walked off in the direction of Reagan's locker.

* * *

Reagan's mind rarely strayed whenever she was in school. She was focused on school more than ever considering she wanted to get into the best universities and colleges in the country. She even applied to schools in England. Reagan felt almost too ambitious because even though she was going after the future she wanted, part of her future she would have to leave behind.

When it came to the thought of leaving Jonathan next year for school, she grew worried. She knew she always wanted to end up at a school like Harvard or Princeton but now Reagan wasn't so sure. Maybe she could take a year off and then attend a school closer to where Jonathan wanted to go. She felt silly altering her dreams for a boy, especially when they haven't even said the word 'love' to each other yet even though they had been together for almost a year.

Once the bell rang signaling the start of lunch, Reagan headed to her locker. She tried not to think about that as she opened her locker but then her eyes fell on a certain book. She had promised Jonathan that she would read _Christine_. Stephen King's book came out the previous year but she hadn't picked it up yet. When she saw that Jonathan owned it, he lent it to her to read.

But it had been sitting in her locker for weeks.

She had been too busy writing essays for applications, keeping up her grades, and spending less and less time with Jonathan. She felt bad. Reagan reached up to grab the book just as a hand was pressed on the closed locker next to her. She looked over her shoulder, expecting it to be Jonathan but was surprised when it was a boy she didn't recognize.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

Billy Hargrove eyed Reagan up and down as he leaned against the lockers. "I don't know, can you?" He questioned her back. Reagan rolled her eyes as she pulled out the Stephen King novel and tucked it underneath her arm. "How many girls have you used that one with?" She sighed. Billy smirked while he studied her,"None who have ever minded it." He said as he moved closer to her. "I'm Billy." He introduced.

"And I'm uninterested, unimpressed, and unavailable." Reagan told him as she shut her locker door. She turned around to face him, realizing how close he got to her and she took a step back. "Part of me says that you're not entirely uninterested and unimpressed. As for unavailable, I can easily fix that." Billy said as he took another step closer to her. Reagan gently put her hand on his chest to stop him from coming any closer.

"Please stop." She asked him politely, never failing to use her manners. Billy looked down at her hand on his chest and he smirked. "What did I tell you? I can tell you're the littlest bit interested." He chuckled. Reagan frowned up at him as he met her eyes.

Jonathan cleared his voice as he stood in front of the door. Reagan jumped back at the noise, embarrassed she hadn't noticed her boyfriend was there before. She moved over to him and linked arms with him as she looked at Billy. "Like I said, unavailable." Reagan explained. Billy eyed Jonathan before his eyes fell on Reagan. "And like I said, I can easily fix that." He said to her, sending a small glare to Jonathan before leaving.

Her boyfriend looked down at Reagan with an annoyed expression. "What was that?" Jonathan questioned her. He wasn't angry with her, more angry with Billy who had just fled the scene of the crime. Reagan frowned,"It was just some dumb guy. He's probably new here so he doesn't know that we're–" "It didn't seem to be much of a problem for him, Reagan. No, I don't think that– that jackass is going to back off just because you have a boyfriend." Jonathan cut her off as he looked off in the direction Billy had walked off in.

She lifted her hand to his face, softly touching his cheek. "Hey." She caught his attention, changing his gaze so that it would be on her. "Nothing on Earth is going to take me away from you." Reagan assured him.

"And what about the things not on Earth?" Jonathan questioned, thinking of the Upside Down. Reagan sighed a little as she looked down. It had almost been a year since everything happened. "We're going to be fine, okay?" She tried again. Jonathan studied her face,"Will we?" He asked her suddenly, not expecting to say those words out loud.

There was an elephant in the room and neither of them wanted to acknowledge it.

"We will." Reagan said, too stubborn to admit what was going on. She leaned up and pressed her lips to his. The kiss seemed to calm him down until the two were interrupted by a venomous redhead.

"Watch out, Hawkins! It's the freakshow! Wow, I didn't know they allowed porn on school property. Anybody have a video camera? Oh, wait... no one would actually buy freak porn. It's too pathetic." Carol mocked as she passed the couple. Reagan glared in Carol's direction, opening her mouth to say something.

Jonathan stopped her by taking her hand. "You're not Carol. Don't say something she would just so you could hurt her." He tried talking her down. Reagan huffed in her anger before looking back at Jonathan. He met her eyes,"We both know that's not who you are." He said quietly.

She nodded her head at him. "You're right." She admitted. Reagan gave his hand a squeeze. "Can we please get out of here?" She asked him. Jonathan nodded his head a little,"Darkroom?" He asked her. Reagan nodded her head back at him and he led the way.

* * *

The darkroom was one of the places in the high school where Jonathan and Reagan remained almost completely safe from the rest of the world. The other place was in the library and known as Reagan's signature place while the darkroom was Jonathan's.

Whenever they felt the urge to leave everyone else behind, they would sneak off to these places and would either read, talk, or not talk at all.

Reagan sat down in a chair and watched as Jonathan developed some of his photographs that he took a week ago. She stayed silent as she watched him and eventually Jonathan took his attention away from his photographs to look at her. "Carol still bothering you?" He asked. She nodded her head a little.

"I wish she wasn't. I really wish she didn't have that power over me." She lamented as she played with the hem of her skirt. Jonathan moved over to her, meeting her eyes. "She doesn't, Reagan. You proved that to me a long time ago, remember?" He told her. She smiled softly and nodded her head. "I remember." She said.

He held out his hand to her and she took it. Jonathan helped Reagan out of the chair and wrapped an arm around her waist. He pulled her close slowly and pressed his lips to her forehead gently before pulling her into a hug. "It's okay. She was your best friend. I understand." Jonathan spoke softly into her ear as she rested her head against his chest. "Thank you for understanding... despite the fact she's a complete bitch." Reagan joked lightly.

Jonathan pulled away to smile down at her. "You call her a bitch with tears in your eyes." He mused. Reagan chuckled a little,"Yeah... I hate how she makes me feel so... hateful. I don't like feeling that way." She confessed. Jonathan nodded his head at her,"That's because you're one of the best people I know." He complimented. She blushed as he pulled her in for a kiss.

She pulled away from the kiss to notice his photographs were finished developing. "Are these from the pumpkin patch?" She asked as she moved away from him to approach the table. Jonathan looked over,"Yeah." He confirmed as he moved behind her. Jonathan put his hands on her waist and looked over her shoulder.

"That one's a good shot of us." Jonathan pointed out before brushing her hair away from her neck. Reagan smiled as he gently kissed her neck and she studied the photograph he had pointed out. It was one of her crouched down in the pumpkin patch, pretending to be in a Shakespearian play, pretending that a pumpkin was a skull. Jonathan was in the picture, laughing at her antics.

Reagan chuckled,"I look ridiculous." She said as she stared at the photograph. "You are ridiculous." Jonathan told her and she rolled her eyes lightly. Reagan grinned,"I love it." She mentioned. He froze in his movements, thinking that for one second that she didn't say 'it'. Jonathan moved away suddenly, a little bit uncomfortable even though Reagan never said what he thought she did. "What?" She asked him, confused by his reaction.

He shook his head. "Nothing... I was just– too much into my head." He realized. Jonathan looked around,"I should get going–" The boy rushed out. He went to collect his things when Reagan stopped him. "What do you mean you should get going?" She inquired. "Lunch is almost over so– I have class, you have class– I should get going." He was nervous all of a sudden and Reagan didn't realize it was because he was freaked out over mishearing her.

"Jonathan." She tried to get his attention as he hung up his photographs to dry. "Jonathan." Reagan tried again, failing to grasp his attention. "Jonathan, look at me!" She didn't mean to shout at him but she did. Jonathan froze and turned around to look at her.

"I'm sorry." He quickly apologized. "I thought... I just– I overreacted." Jonathan explained. She furrowed her brows,"Why?" She questioned. He frowned,"You said that you love it and I thought you said..." He trailed off, too embarrassed to say it out loud. Reagan clued in and crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh." She said, realizing how awkward things were now.

She suddenly wanted out of the darkroom as well. "You're right. I should get going too." Reagan said as she grabbed her backpack before leaving the room. Jonathan sighed as he watched her leave. "Fuck." He breathed out.

* * *

Thank goodness things were less awkward between them by the time school was over. Jonathan waited for Reagan by his car and smiled at the sight of her. He took the smile as a good sign. She walked up to him,"Hey." She greeted. "Hey." Jonathan looked at her, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

Reagan stared at him,"...Can we forget about what happened today?" She asked him. Jonathan nodded his head at her. "Yeah, of course." He agreed. The boy went around to open the door of his car for,"Let's just have a good night, okay?" He told her. "Okay." She said, sliding into the passenger seat. Jonathan closed the door behind her and made his way to the driver seat. He got into his car, starting it up.

Unfortunately, things were quiet between them as they made their way to Jonathan's house. They wanted to talk to each other about what happened but neither one of them had the right thing to say.

Jonathan couldn't say that he loved her, even though he did and had for a long time. He was too afraid. She was going to leave him soon and no matter how much he loved her, he couldn't stop her.

That would only be unfair to her. He couldn't stop her from leaving and ask her to give up her dreams for him. Her dreams were one of the many things he loved about her.

The conversation didn't start again until they reached the Byers household. Reagan was still quiet as they got out of Jonathan's car. He looked at her as she walked towards the front door. "Reagan?" He said. Reagan stopped, turning around to look at him. "Yeah?" She asked. Jonathan stared at her, wanting to say what she has waited a long time to hear but he couldn't.

"Do you... want to go to a Halloween party?" He wanted to physically smack himself in the face. Reagan looked at him in surprise, not expecting him to say something like that. She blinked,"I– I don't have a costume." She realized. Jonathan nodded his head,"Yeah, me either– it was a stupid idea." He shook his head. Reagan looked at him,"I could wear the one I wore last year." She offered. Jonathan was surprised at her response. "So... you want to go?" He asked.

She nodded her head at him. "Why not? You don't have to dress up if you don't want to. I like you just the way you are." She told him with a smile. Jonathan grinned at her and walked over. "You know me all too well, Reagan." He said, pressing his lips to her before wrapping his arms around her. Regan smiled into the kiss before pulling away from him. "You say that like you just won the lottery." She teased with a chuckle, entering his house.

Jonathan smiled as she walked in. "That's because I did." He mumbled to himself as he followed behind her.

* * *

"How many different ones did you rent?" Reagan asked, looking through Jonathan's selections from the video store. He shrugged,"A few." He said. She smirked,"These are not a few and more than half of these are horror movies. Will's not going to watch any of these." She pointed out. Jonathan furrowed his brows,"What are you talking about? He loves horror movies." He mentioned.

Reagan frowned,"I don't want to give him nightmares." She sighed as she looked at them. Jonathan frowned before looking through the pile. "Fine... nothing too scary then." He picked up the least squeamish films from his selection and exited his room. "Jonathan, where's _Christine_?" Reagan noticed he took that one from the pile. Jonathan tried to walk quickly but Reagan caught up with him.

She cleared her throat as she held out her hand. Jonathan rolled his eyes and handed over the horror movie. "You're no fun." Jonathan teased and Reagan sighed,"Tonight, we're keeping it PG." She declared as she walked back to his room. "Hopefully not too PG!" Jonathan called.

It was only then he noticed that Bob was watching him with his video camera. Jonathan's face flushed as he was filled with embarrassment. Getting caught in that sort of situation with his mother was one thing, but getting caught with his mother's boyfriend was a whole other. Jonathan scratched the back of his head awkwardly as he walked over to the end of the hall, knocking on his brother's door. He opened it up,"Hey, bud." Jonathan greeted his brother.

Will looked up from his drawing. "I didn't know what you'd like, so I got a variety. Take your pick." Jonathan said. Will looked at him,"Whatever you want. Or let Reagan pick, I don't care." He said. Jonathan noticed his brother's weird attitude but didn't decide to point it out. He just nodded his head slightly,"Alright." Jonathan said and took a seat on Will's bed.

"What are you working on?" Jonathan asked him, leaning over to get a look at Will's drawing. "Zombie Boy? Who's Zombie Boy?" He questioned. Will continued working on the drawing,"Me." The boy confessed. His older brother furrowed his brows,"Did someone call you that?" Jonathan asked. Will said nothing to him which only concerned Jonathan more.

He looked at Will,"Hey." He said, trying to get his brother's attention. "You can talk to me. You can talk to Reagan. You know that, right?" Jonathan told him. "Whatever happened– Will, come on. Talk to me." Jonathan tried to get his brother's attention which only angered the young boy.

"Stop treating me like that!" Will snapped. "What? Like what?" Jonathan questioned, confused by Will's reaction. "Like everyone else. Like there's something wrong with me." Will looked back to his drawing, not wanting to discuss it anymore. Jonathan wouldn't let it go, however. "What are you talking about?" He asked.

Will frowned,"Mom, Reagan, Dustin, Lucas. Everyone. They all treat me like I'm gonna break. Like I'm a baby. Like I can't handle things on my own." Will explained as Jonathan frowned and lowered his gaze. "It doesn't help. It just makes me feel like more of a freak." Will pointed out. Jonathan looked up at him,"You're not a freak." He stated.

"Yeah, I am." Will argued. "I am." The boy repeated as he looked at Jonathan.

A moment of silence fell between the two boys as Will continued with his drawing and Jonathan struggled with the right words to say to him.

Finally, it came to him.

"You know what? You're right." Jonathan said, swinging his legs over the side of the bed so that he could face Will. "You are a freak." Jonathan told him. Will was confused as he looked at his brother,"What?" He asked. "No, I'm serious. You're a freak. But what? Do you wanna be normal? Do you wanna be just like everyone else? Being a freak is the best. I'm a freak." Jonathan said.

His brother looked at him weirdly,"Is that why you don't have any friends?" Will asked. Jonathan blinked at him,"I–I have friends, Will. I have Reagan." He defended. Will looked at him,"She's not your friend, she's your girlfriend." Will pointed out.

Jonathan chuckled,"She- she is." He said. Will sighed,"Then why are you always hanging out with me?" He asked. "Because you're my best friend, alright?" Jonathan said. "And I would rather be best friends with Zombie Boy than with a boring nobody. You know what I mean? And I'm sure that Reagan would agree." Jonathan finished, moving a little closer to his brother. "Okay, look... who would you rather be friends with? Bowie or Kenny Rogers?" He asked.

Will cringed,"Ugh." The boy said, hiding a smile. "Exactly. It's no contest." Jonathan smiled at him. "The thing is, nobody normal ever accomplished anything meaningful in this world. You got it?" He said, looking at Will.

"Well... some people like Kenny Rogers." Will mentioned.

"Kenny Rogers? I love Kenny Rogers." Bob commented, appearing at Will's bedroom door. The boys shared a look with each other and Will chuckled a little. "What's so funny?" Bob asked them. "Nothing." Will said quickly.

Bob looked through some of the selections Jonathan had rented. " _Mr. Mom._ " Bob let out a whoop. "Perfect!" He said, leaving the boy's room, leaving Jonathan and Will laughing at his antics.

* * *

Jonathan was shaken awake by his little brother by the time the movie ended. The teenaged boy blinked sleepily, looking at Will. "What– what happened?" Jonathan asked him. "You fell asleep halfway through the movie." Will pointed out. Jonathan got out of his chair, wiping his eyes. "Great." He said, standing up and looking around the room. "Where's Reagan?" Jonathan said when he saw no sign of her.

"Getting ready to leave!" Reagan called from the front door, putting on her shoes. Jonathan remembered that she had to be home tonight, especially since her brother had covered for her after their little sleepover. Jonathan made his way out of the living room. "Sorry about that. I almost forgot." He said, walking over to her.

She shook her head, getting her backpack,"It's no problem. I should probably walk though considering you're so tired." She said. Jonathan shook his head,"No– it was just the movie, let me drive you." He insisted. "Jonathan,"I'll be fine." She assured him but he wasn't buying it.

"I can drive her." Bob offered, overhearing their conversation. Jonation looked over at the man before looking back at Reagan and cringing. Reagan, seeing no problem with him, gave Jonathan a look of disapproval. She then looked over at Bob and smiled at him. "That would be really nice of you, Mr. Newby." She told him. Bob grinned at her,"Please, Reagan, call me Bob." He told her.

Reagan smiled over at Jonathan,"See? I have a ride home with Bob. Now get some sleep, I'll see you tomorrow." She told him, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Jonathan sighed but nodded his head. He was too tired to give her a ride and Bob Newby wasn't the worst person in the world, so it shouldn't matter all that much to him. After all, he did manage to make his mother happy. Reagan was right. Jonathan should give him at least a chance.

"I'll see you tomorrow as well." Bob said, giving Joyce a quick kiss goodbye as he got his car keys. He looked at Reagan,"You ready to go?" He asked her. She nodded her head as they headed out of the Byers household. "Thanks again for this, Mister– Bob." Reagan corrected herself.

The man smiled politely,"Mr. Bob?" He questioned as they got into his car. Reagan felt embarrassed as she put on her seatbelt. "Trust me, Joyce had to endure a lot of 'Mrs. Joyce' as well when I first met her." She admitted as the man started the car. Bob chuckled a little,"Really? How did you meet her?" He couldn't help but be curious about it. He knew Reagan was Will's babysitter and Jonathan's girlfriend but didn't know how she came into their life exactly.

She looked over at him with a smile,"It's a good story." She told him. Reagan looked at the road as they pulled out of the driveway,"Turn right and just keep going straight until I say." Reagan instructed Bob as they drove away from the house. "I was around twelve years old and I wanted to start a babysitting service. A step up from my previous lemonade stand ventures. I made flyers and started putting them up all around Hawkins. Joyce was exiting the grocery store when she saw me. She asked what I was doing. When I explained to her my business proposal, she asked me if I had any clients. I told her I had none yet. She asked me my rate and then suddenly I had my first client." Reagan explained with a smile.

Bob nodded his head,"Is that how you met Jonathan?" He asked. Reagan shook her head,"No. It's how I met Will though. Jonathan and I have been going to school together for as long as I can remember." She said. Bob smiled,"But do you remember when you first met him? I remember when I first met Joyce." He said, nostalgia in his eyes.

"Yeah, I remember." Reagan said, looking at the road. She pointed,"Just down there." She directed him. Bob drove the car,"Well? Don't shy away. I'm interested." He told her with a slight chuckle. Reagan smiled and looked out of the car window,"Jonathan probably doesn't even remember." She said.

"Trust me, Reagan. He'd remember something like that." Bob told her gently and she smiled at his words. "Thanks." She told him, looking back out the window. "I'm just over there." She pointed. Bob pulled up in front of the Harrington household.

He looked over at Reagan,"I'd love to hear the story one day, but your mother is probably wondering where you are. Have a good night, Reagan." Bob said. Reagan nodded her head, exiting his car. "You have a good night too, Bob." She gave him one final smile before waving him off for the night and entering her house.


	3. The Monster Mash

**A/N: I'm going to put a trigger warning for this chapter just to be safe. This chapter includes attempted rape.**

* * *

"Reagan, I want to see you."

Jonathan sighed as he stared at the closed bathroom door. He waited a few minutes before looking again at his watch. "Come on, Reagan, I know you've already changed. Just let me see you. I want to see you." The boy practically begged. She had been in the bathroom over twenty minutes changing into her costume for the night.

The girl shook her head, looking at herself in the mirror. "No. No. This is a mistake. This is just like last year... God, I can't believe Carol convinced me to dress up like this." Reagan realized, looking at herself in the mirror. She remembered buying the outfit a year ago under Carol's encouragement. "Carol? I thought you said you were dressing up as the main character from your favorite movie." Jonathan said, moving closer to the door.

He put his hand on the door gently,"Reagan... just come out. It can't be that bad." Jonathan assured. Reagan bit her bottom lip, unlocking the bathroom door. She opened the door, letting Jonathan take her in. He suddenly understood why she was so afraid to open that door.

"You wore that last year? In public?" He asked.

Reagan blushed, covering her face. "I know." She rushed out, completely embarrassed. Jonathan shook his head,"No, it's not bad. It's not bad." He said, reaching for her hands. He moved her hands away from her face, meeting her eyes. "You look beautiful." Jonathan told her sincerely. She smiled up at him,"Really?" She asked.

"Yeah." Jonathan said quickly, eying her up and down. He chuckled,"It really doesn't leave anything up to the imagination." He commented with a slight smirk, earning him an arm hit from his girlfriend. "What? It doesn't." Jonathan told her. "I'm not some object to ogle at, Jonathan." Reagan said firmly.

Jonathan leaned down,"I'm only ogling because you're my girlfriend." He brought her in for a kiss, wrapping an arm around her waist. Reagan kissed back, smiling as he moved his lips away to focus on her neck. "And I happen to think you're the most beautiful, prettiest, cutest–" "Jonathan!" Reagan exclaimed out of embarrassment and the boy presumed it was because he was flattering her too much.

However, that wasn't the case.

Bob cleared his throat and Jonathan was quick to get off his girlfriend. Jonathan scratched the back of his neck nervously as his face turned red. "Uh..." He trailed off, not really sure what was the appropriate thing to say to your mother's boyfriend when he walks in on you giving your girlfriend a hickey.

The man shook his head,"I saw nothing." Bob said to the teenaged boy before looking at Reagan. He smiled at her,"You look nice." He complimented. "I love your hair. Looks just like the movie." Bob told her before nodding his head down the hall. "Will's getting ready to go. Come on, I'll show you how to use the video camera." Bob said to Jonathan.

As the man headed off, Reagan looked at her boyfriend and started laughing. "What are you doing? It's not funny." Jonathan argued, still blushing. "What are you talking about, Jon? It's hilarious. But don't worry, I still think you're the most beautiful, prettiest, cutest–" "Shut up." He told her with a smile on his face, grabbing her hand and leading her down the hall to join the rest of his family.

Will turned around as his brother and Reagan joined them. Will smiled at Reagan,"You look amazing. How did you get your hair so big?" He asked her. Reagan grinned, letting go of Jonathan's hand to go over to Will. "My brother." She whispered. "But don't ever let Steve know I told you that."

"So you hit 'T' to zoom in and 'W' zooms back out." Bob instructed Jonathan as the boy held the video camera. "See? Easy-peasy." He said, moving forward as Jonathan lowered the video camera. "Just make sure to turn off the power to save energy there." Bob gently touched the video camera, showing Jonathan how to do it.

Joyce helped her youngest son with his costume. "Listen. Stay close to your brother and Reagan, okay?" Joyce told him, turning him around to face her. "And listen, listen, listen... if you get a bad feeling or anything, you tell him to take you straight home." She said. "You promise?" Joyce asked. Will nodded his head at his mother,"Okay." He said softly.

"Are you ready, bud?" Jonathan asked, moving over to his brother. "Yeah." Will nodded. Jonathan looked over at Reagan,"You ready?" He asked her. Reagan nodded her head at him and the three made their way over to the door. "Please tell me you have a coat." Jonathan realized, eying Reagan's attire.

She looked back at him and frowned,"Sorry. Here's hoping it won't be cold?" She said, a little uneasy, before leading Will to the car. Jonathan frowned, thinking about her interaction with Billy the other day.

"That's not what I'm worried about." He mumbled.

They made their way to the car and Joyce appeared at the front door. "Be safe." She reminded them, her maternal instincts never failing. "I hope it doesn't suck!" Bob called out, imitating Dracula. The man snickered before looking back at Joyce and it was the first time she had realized he had put false fangs in his mouth.

Jonathan rolled his eyes as he got into the driver's seat. "Everyone buckled up?" He asked, looking at Reagan and Will. His brother nodded his head,"Yeah." He confirmed and the car pulled out of the driveway shortly after that.

Little time had passed before Jonathan resumed talking. "I just don't get what she sees in him." Jonathan confessed as he drove away from his house. "What?" Reagan asked, not recognizing immediately what Jonathan had started talking about. "Bob." Jonathan clarified.

"At least he doesn't treat me different." Will pointed out quietly. Reagan frowned, looking at the boy in the backseat. "I mean, I can't even go trick-or-treating by myself. It's lame." He lamented. Jonathan looked at his brother using the mirror,"What? You think I'm lame?" He asked.

"No, but it's not like Nancy and Steve coming to watch over Mike, you know?" Will sighed as they reached the house. Jonathan pulled up and Will's friends were quick to notice. "Will, hey!" Dustin called over, walking up with Lucas and Mike. "Can you honk the horn?" Will suddenly asked and Jonathan couldn't deny him. He honked at his friends and Will smiled. But that smile was quick to fade.

Will began to get out of the car but Jonathan stopped him. "Hey, listen." He said. Will turned back, looking at Jonathan. "Yeah?" Will asked. "If we let you go on your own, you promise to stay in the neighborhood?" Jonathan said. Will grew excited once more,"Yeah! Yeah, yeah, totally." The boy promised. "And be back at Mike's by 9:00." Reagan cut in, looking at Jonathan who nodded in agreement.

"9:30...?" Will tried. "9:00." Jonathan repeated Reagan's original curfew. "Deal?" Jonathan said, extending his hand to the boy. "Yeah. Yeah, deal." Will agreed eagerly, practically jumping out of his seat. "Alright." Jonathan said before extending the video camera. "Hey, Will. Don't let any of your spazzy friends use this, alright?" He joked with a smile. Will smiled as he took the video camera,"Okay."

"I hope it doesn't suck." Jonathan imitated Bob who had imitated Dracula. He earned a chuckle from his little brother but a slight glare from Reagan. "What?" He asked her. "Bob's nice." She argued, a little mad that Jonathan was mocking the man.

Jonathan shook his head, watching his brother join his friends. Reagan's anger diminished when she watched him, however. She knew Jonathan and she knew the only reason he didn't like Bob was because he was so protective of his family.

He looked over at her,"Do you mind going to the party earlier than we planned to?" Jonathan asked. She shook her head,"I just... hope it doesn't suck." She said, using the Dracula voice as well. "See? It's funny." Jonathan pointed out. Reagan chuckled, shaking her head. "No. He put a lot of work into his costume, I think it was sweet." She said. "I think it was a little embarrassing." Jonathan chuckled as he started the car again, driving off.

* * *

The party was already in full swing when they arrived. Night had fallen and teenagers were drunk all around Tina's house. Jonathan instantly felt uncomfortable but he tried to remember who he was doing this for. This was Reagan's world, or at least it used to be before he started dating her.

Dating Jonathan Byers had dropped Reagan's social status from a golden girl to a circus freak.

While Jonathan usually thought it was a good thing, because now she was only friends with the people who actually cared about her and accepted her for who she was, he couldn't help but wonder if she missed all of it. The popularity, the parties, and the people.

In his opinion, they were the worst people on Earth, but Jonathan reminded himself that everyone at this party used to be Reagan's friend.

"You okay?" Reagan pulled the boy out of his thoughts as they approached the door. "Yeah." He lied, opening the front door for her. He let Reagan in first before following her behind, taking in the entire sight. Jonathan swallowed a lump in his throat. He had never been to a high school party before that night.

She noticed his expression again and touched his neck. "Jonathan, are you okay?" Reagan questioned, trying to meet his eyes but he wouldn't look at her. "I– I'll be b-b-back." Jonathan let out nervously as he moved away from her, looking around desperately for a bathroom or closet to hide in.

"Jonathan!" Reagan called, remembering he had stuttered that way since they were kids. She suddenly felt terrible for allowing him to think this would be a good idea. Reagan started after him but slammed right into another person which sent her tumbling down onto the ground.

Reagan fell back on the ground, looking up at the person she had bumped into. Of course, out of everyone at that party, she had to bump straight into the person she didn't want to see. Carol stared down at the girl, recognizing the attire. Reagan was wearing the Halloween costume she had worn last year, the one she had bought with Carol.

Carol's face turned red and Reagan realized it was because they were wearing the exact same costume. She hoped the girl wasn't mad but it was pretty clear that Carol was furious. Even though Reagan was wearing the same costume she wore a year ago, she still looked better in it than Carol did.

"Hey, Reagan. Looking good." Tommy stopped to admire Reagan on the ground and his girlfriend whipped her head around to look at him. "We're wearing the same goddamn thing, Tommy!" The redhead yelled at him before looking back down at Reagan. "But she won't be looking so good for long." Carol looked at the drink in her hand before pouring it all over Reagan.

She gasped as the booze was poured all over her. The spiked punch started to stain her clothes red and she frowned. Reagan might feel uncomfortable in the costume because it was revealing but she still enjoyed it. _Flashdance_ was her favorite movie after all.

The girl felt herself being lifted up. Billy hooked his arm underneath her legs and supported her back. "Let's get you out of here." He whispered, carrying the girl away from the scene. "No... no– I can take care of myself." Reagan argued but she chose not to fight against him. She had started crying and was suddenly embarrassed. She thought it would best not to fight the boy because he was helping her and she wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to hide her face as Billy carried her up the stairs.

Billy found an empty room in the house and entered, setting her down on the bed. He turned back and closed the door so they wouldn't be disturbed. "Let me find you a towel." Billy said, looking to the bathroom that was attached to the room.

Reagan curled up on the bed, hugging her knees to her chest as she cried. "I shouldn't have come." She whispered to herself, shaking her head. She felt a towel being wrapped around her. "Why? I was waiting for you." Billy said, taking a seat beside her. Reagan peaked her head out, wiping her cheeks. "Why? Everybody here thinks I'm just some freak... can't imagine they think that of you." She pointed out.

"They don't." He smirked proudly but Billy saw that wasn't helping her. "Carol's just jealous. She'll never be as hot as you." He tried but that still wasn't working with her. Reagan shook her head,"You don't even know me." She decided. Billy shook his head, using the towel to wipe away the booze. "I know you." He stated, meeting her eyes. "I know you're too pretty to cry." Billy said softly.

She had to admit, he was charming. But she wasn't interested. "Billy..." Reagan began, trying to let him down easy but he cut her off. "Shh." He told her, leaning in and pressing his lips against hers. Reagan frowned into the kiss, attempting to push the boy off her but he just wrapped an arm around her. She pushed him,"Billy!" Regan shouted but he didn't stop.

He reached his hand underneath her shirt, climbing on top of her and pinning her to the bed. "Billy!" Reagan screamed. She started to panic as she realized where this was going. She tried to push him off but he kept kissing her neck. "Stop–" "Stop fighting! I know you like me." Billy interrupted her with a smirk on his face. He leaned back down and kissed her. He pulled off the sweatshirt she was wearing and Reagan struggled against him.

"Help! Somebody help me! HELP ME!" She screeched, fearing what would happen if no one heard her. The door swung opened and Reagan looked over, hoping it would be Jonathan or Steve.

Reagan was surprised once again at the sight of Carol. She would've cringed if she wasn't desperate. "Carol, please–" The blonde urged, reminding Carol of years of friendship. "Get off her, you perv!" Carol was quick to shove the boy off of her. "Get out! Get out of my friend's house!" The redhead screeched at Billy. He got off of the floor, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Whatever." He said, looking at the two of them.

"You're both bitches anyway." Billy said, leaving the room. Reagan started crying on the bed again as Carol went to join her. Carol touched the girl's shoulders gently,"Reagan... are you okay?" She asked.

Suddenly they were kids again, unburdened by the whole facade of popularity.

Carol watched as Reagan shook her head and continued to cry. "Reagan?" Jonathan called before entering the room, surprised at the sight of Carol comforting Reagan. He hadn't seen Carol acting that nice to Reagan in a long time. "What... what happened?" He asked, looking at Carol.

The redhead climbed off the bed, walking towards Jonathan. "Listen, freak... don't let her out of her sight next time, okay? Reagan's strong... but she can't fight her own battles. Especially against guys like Billy." Carol told him, frowning as she looked at her former friend. She then left the room, leaving Jonathan alone with Reagan.

He frowned,"Billy?" Jonathan asked but Carol was already gone. He didn't understand what she was saying until he noticed Reagan's shirt was on the floor. "What did he do to you?" Jonathan was angry as he rushed over to Reagan but he touched her softly. She lifted her head up to look at him and he gently brushed away her tears. "It's fine. Carol stopped him before he could do anything." She explained.

"I... I should've never suggested we come here." Jonathan realized, recognizing how bad things had been since they had gotten to the party. He panicked and she nearly got seriously hurt. He held out his hand,"Let's get out of here. I'll take you home. I can stay over if you want." He told her.

Reagan shook her head,"No... I rather be alone tonight. Let's go pick up Will." She whispered and he nodded. He collected her shirt that reeked of spiked punch and he helped her back into it. They left the room slowly, heading downstairs.

It didn't take long for both of them to see the commotion.

"No, no, no." Steve tried to stop Nancy from drinking any more. "Get off!" The brunette snapped at him, clearly annoyed with him. "No, you've had enough, okay?" Steve told her. "Screw you!" Nancy yelled at him, turning back to get herself another drink.

"Nance, I'm serious. Hey. Hey. Hey. Stop. No, I'm serious." Steve stopped her from drinking after she refilled her cup. "Put it down." He ordered when he realized she was still trying to drink it. "No!" She fought against him. "Nance, put it down." He instructed, hoping to help her. "Steve, stop!" She barked at him. "Stop. Stop." Steve tried but he lost grip of the cup, sending the drink flying back at her.

She poured her drink all over her white shirt and Nancy gasped. Everyone exclaimed and Steve frowned. He hadn't intended on that, he just wanted for her to stop drinking before she started hurting herself.

Everyone froze, waiting for her next move. "What the hell?" Nancy looked at him.

"Nance!" Steve tried but she just walked past him towards the bathroom. He followed after her, moving in front to open the door for his girlfriend. Steve closed the bathroom door behind him, not realizing Jonathan and Reagan decided to follow after them. "Nance, I'm sorry." Steve apologized as Nancy wet a hand towel in the sink.

The girl tried to wipe her shirt, too drunk to realize it was a lost cause.

"That's not coming off, Nance." He told her. "It's coming." She argued. He moved behind her,"Come on. Let me just take you home, okay? Come here." Steve said sweetly as he moved beside her. "Let me take you home. Come on." He tried. "You wanted this." Nancy pointed out, frowning as she felt her emotions bubbling up.

Steve shook his head,"No, I didn't want this. I told you to stop drinking." The boy pointed out. "It's bullshit. Bullshit." She snapped. "No, it's not bullshit. Okay? No, it's not bullshit, Nancy." Steve said in an attempt to convince but she just shook her head at him. "No, you." Nancy looked at her. "You're bullshit." She said, hurting him.

"What?" He was taken aback by what she said. "You're pretending like everything is okay. You know, like we didn't... like we didn't kill Barb. Like, it's great. Like, we're in love and we're partying. Yeah, let's party, huh? Party. We're partying. This is- is bullshit." Nancy didn't see that in her drunkenness that she had broken his heart.

He looked at her gently, hurt showing through his eyes. "Like we're in love?" He said, repeating her words. Steve touched her cheek as he stared at her in disbelief. Steve had given his all to her for a year and she was telling him that she didn't love him after all that time.

"It's bullshit." Nancy said and Steve shook his head. "You don't love me?" He asked, wondering if she was going to actually say it. "It's bullshit." She repeated. Steve dropped his hand from her cheek, opening the door and slamming the door on the way out.

The boy bumped into his sister on the way out. Reagan stopped him, grabbing his shoulders because he didn't notice her. "Steve!" She yelled, getting his attention. Steve shook his head, trying to hide how upset he was. "I can't– I can't do this right now." He said and pushed past his sister. "Steve!" Reagan tried calling after him but she looked to the bathroom, realizing he had left Nancy.

She went to the bathroom and Jonathan followed after her. Reagan swung open the door to the bathroom, seeing Nancy who was still trying to clean off her shirt. "What did you say to my brother?" Reagan asked, a little angry. "Reagan." Jonathan warned her, seeing how drunk Nancy was.

"Fuck off, Reagan." Nancy kept trying to clean her shirt until Reagan ripped the hand towel away from her. "What did you say to Steve?" She kept asking. The brunette whipped her head around to look at her. "What the fuck do you want from me, Reagan? You want me to be your brother's perfect girlfriend? You want me to be your perfect best friend? It's bullshit! All of it!" Nancy exclaimed and Reagan frowned at her with tears in her eyes.

"You're drunk, Nancy. You're wasted!" She exclaimed at her. Nancy shook her head,"It's still all bullshit... it's all bullshit. You're not my best friend– my best friend is dead. Barb is dead and it's our fault." She started crying and Reagan huffed, knowing she couldn't leave her like this. She wrapped her arms around Nancy, pulling her into a hug. "It's okay... I know." She whispered. Nancy hugged back weakly.

Jonathan's eyes went wide. "Reagan, I think she's going to–" He tried to warn her but not soon enough. Nancy threw up a little on Reagan's back and the blonde cringed. Nancy pulled away,"Reagan. I'm so–" Nancy covered her mouth and this time Reagan directed her towards the toilet. Reagan pushed Nancy's hair away from the girl's face, holding it back as the girl vomited into the toilet.

Reagan couldn't help but laugh. Jonathan furrowed his brows at her,"Why are you laughing?" He asked his girlfriend. Reagan kept chuckling looked over at him,"I'm doing the same thing I did last Halloween." Reagan remembered that Carol was in this position opposed to Nancy. He shook his head but let out a small smile.

* * *

Both of them had helped Nancy get home alright, especially considering Steve was her ride and he had driven off after what Nancy said to him.

She watched as Jonathan helped Nancy onto her bed. The girl was practically falling asleep as Reagan moved over to take her boots off. Reagan set down the girls shoes, turning to watch Jonathan tuck Nancy underneath her blanket. Reagan moved over to the girl's bedside and looked at her in worry.

"Reagan?" Nancy said, opening her eyes vaguely to look up at the blonde. She reached up and touched Reagan's arm. "Get some rest." Reagan whispered and Nancy dropped her hand, closing her eyes.

The two let the girl's room and Jonathan turned off the lights as he closed the door behind him and Reagan. He looked over at his girlfriend,"What now?" He asked, looking at her. "We get my grey sweatshirt from the car and burn it." She suggested as they made their way down the stairs. Jonathan chuckled,"It's puke and alcohol... you could wash it." He suggested.

However, when Reagan looked back at him, he realized she was right. "Or we could just throw it out." He said.

* * *

It was late when Jonathan dropped Reagan off at home. She said goodbye to Will and assured Jonathan she would be alright. The girl made her way to her front door, freezing since that she had taken off her sweatshirt and thrown it out. But it was covered in Nancy's vomit and alcohol so it wasn't like Reagan would rather be wearing it compared to freezing.

She opened her front door, entering her house to find her brother still stil up. Reagan heard the boy watching television. She walked over, entering her living room to find that Steve had changed out of his costume. He had the bowls of leftover Halloween candy their mother had passed out to the neighborhood children.

He unwrapped a chocolate bar, biting down into it. She sighed as she moved over, joining him on the sofa. "Are you going to tell me what happened at the party?" She asked him as his eyes were fixed on the television.

"No." He said, his mouth full of sticking chocolate. Reagan frowned at him,"Steve." She urged and the boy finally turned to look at her. Steve cringed when he realized what she smelled like. "Why do you smell like booze and upchuck?" He questioned.

"Your girlfriend." She answered. "Ex-girlfriend." Steve corrected, making his sister frown even more. "Really? Ex-girlfriend? So you guys had a fight, that doesn't mean you–" "She told me she didn't love me." Steve interrupted, confessing what he had been holding back from her. Her eyes shifted,"Steve... Nancy loves you." She argued but the boy simply shook his head. "No. She doesn't. I believe her." He stated. "Steve, she was drunk–" "She meant it."

Steve swallowed the last remaining bit of chocolate in his mouth before shaking his head. "You know what's the worst part? I– I'm still in love with her. She practically told me that she never loved me and I... I still love her so much. This is bad, Wonder Twin. I have never felt this way about a girl before... and of course, the first time I do... she doesn't love me back." He said sadly. "Steve, I'm so sorry." Reagan told him.

He shook his head at her,"Don't be. I know she's your best friend." Steve said. She reached over, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "There's a girl out there, I promise you, who's going to love you for the great guy you are. I mean, of course, this girl will definitely have to be a complete weirdo in order to love you because, I mean, I'm obligated to because I'm your twin sister but you're such a messy and annoying person and we have to admit– you're not the brightest–" "Shut up." Steve said with a chuckle, knowing she was kidding. He still tossed candy at her however and Reagan looked down at the candy. "Thank you." She said, unwrapping a chocolate bar

She stood up from the couch,"Don't stay up too late, okay?" Reagan said. Steve nodded at her, turning back to the television. She wanted to tell him what happened with Billy but she could tell it wasn't the time for it. Besides, Reagan didn't really want to remember what happened. She ate her chocolate, deciding that going to bed what her best option.

* * *

"Nine."

"Nine."

"Nine!"

She blinked, looking back over at Kali who was calling her. "What?" Nine asked her, looking at the girl nervously. Kali approached her with a dark look in her eye. "We need to talk about what happened. About what you cost us both." She said but Nine shook her head. "I don't want to talk about this with you." Nine averted her gaze.

"Oh!" Nine jumped back in fear as the illusion Kali put into her head. She blinked in fear at the Hawkins lab orderly but knew to shut her eyes. "It's not real... it's not real... it's not real... it's not real..." Nine kept whispering to herself before opening up her eyes to realize it was gone. She whipped her head around,"Why would you do that to me?" Nine questioned Kali.

Kali stared at her,"Why would you do that to me?" She asked her the same question. Nine blinked, thinking back to when she used her powers on Kali. "I'm sorry." She apologized. Nine studied Kali,"I know you're sorry too... now that we've forgiven each other, can we forget what happened?" She said, turning away once again.

"No. We cannot forget it. You're still scared of your powers... of what you can do. Your powers are a gift, _Nina_." Kali told her, trying to use a gentle voice so she wouldn't scare her as she got closer.

Nine frowned,"I hate it when you call me that." She said quietly. "Would you prefer me to call you by a number _they_ gave you?" Kali questioned. "Yes." Nine nodded her head a little. "I'll never understand it. You're free of that place... why would you ever want to be reminded of it?" Kali asked.

The other girl turned around to look at her. Nine lifted her arm, pulling down her sleeve to show her the tattoo on her wrist. "I'll always be reminded of it." She pointed out. "Besides... Nine's the only name I've ever known." Nine said and turned away again. This time, however, Kali knew to leave her alone.

She stared at the wall as she heard Kali leave the room and Nine bit her bottom lip.


	4. Good Friends

"There's something I need to tell you." Reagan opened her brother's door slowly, leaning against it. Steve pulled on a shirt, getting dressed for school. "Yeah?" He asked, looking at her. He could tell by the tone of voice that it was serious. Reagan frowned as she looked at him,"Never mind." She whispered weakly, pushing herself off of the door and walking back towards her room. "Reagan!" Steve called, pushing his door open after she swung it closed.

He went after her,"What's wrong?" Steve questioned, following Reagan into her room. She was suddenly not talking to him and he didn't understand why. She was awfully quiet which only worried him more. "Rea... what's wrong?" Steve asked again, but this time he was more gentle. Reagan sat down at her desk, looking at her books and notebooks. Her eyes studied her textbooks and her lamp.

It was almost like she was seeing it for the first time.

The girl couldn't do anything but think of what had happened the night before. Reagan wanted more than anything to talk to her brother about it but she couldn't find the words to explain what had happened. "I..." She blinked, the words still not coming to her. "Something happened." Her voice was unbearably soft. Steve's eyes grew soft as he looked at his sister. "I don't... I don't know how to say it without– without–" Reagan stopped, unable to say it out loud.

Steve studied her eyes, trying to piece together the look on her face. When he did, he almost wished he hadn't.

"Did someone... did someone hurt you?" He hadn't expected his voice to break when he spoke but it did. Steve frowned, realizing his sister was at the party but he hadn't really talked to her when she was there. The one time he did, he had pushed her away. He was now suddenly remembering what she looked like when he did push her away. She was covered in booze and her eyes were red from crying.

"Oh, God." Steve realized, running both hands through his hair. He shook his head, growing angry. "I'll kill him. I'll kill whoever it was. Jonathan and I will kill him together." Steve decided but Reagan stood up and shook her head quickly. "No, Steve, please– that's not what I want." She told him. "I don't care what you want! Someone hurt you, Reagan!" He shouted.

She shook her head again,"No... he didn't. He almost did but Carol showed up." Reagan explained. Steve furrowed his brows,"Carol? She... she showed up?" He asked, completely confused. "Jonathan was in the bathroom. He didn't know where I was. Carol was mad at me because we were wearing the same costume and she dumped her drink on me. Billy was helping me clean up when he–" "Billy?" Steve stopped her. "It was Billy?" He asked her.

Reagan nodded,"He forced himself on me, Steve, but nothing happened." She promised. Steve looked at her,"But something could've. If Carol hadn't shown up." He said. Reagan nodded her head weakly,"Yeah, I guess... but all he did was kiss me." She said. "Did he do anything else?" He asked. Reagan held her lips together which her brother didn't take as a good sign.

"Did he, Reagan?" Steve questioned. "He took off my shirt." She revealed, tears in her eyes despite the fact her tone was casual. "That's not okay, Reagan." He stated. "It's not." Steve repeated, looking at her. She nodded her head slowly,"Yeah... it isn't." She said.

Steve scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Are you going to tell Mom?" He asked her. He studied with gentle eyes,"Or Dad?" Steve asked. Reagan shook her head at him,"No, they don't need to know." She decided. He frowned,"What about Hopper? Reagan, you work at the station–" "No one, Steve. No one but you, Jonathan, Carol, and Billy needs to know." She said. He frowned,"Are you going to tell Nancy?" Steve questioned, realizing it was the first time he thought of Nancy that morning.

"Eventually." Reagan nodded her head. "I couldn't tell her last night. She was too drunk." She pointed out.

He frowned and nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah." He said. Reagan looked at her brother,"Are you going to pick her up this morning?" She asked him. Steve cursed, forgetting he had to do that. He thought it over for a moment before shaking his head. "No. She's your friend. You and Jonathan go pick her up." Steve decided, moving to leave her room.

"Steve?" Reagan said, stopping him before he left her room. Steve stopped, looking back at his sister. "Yeah?" He asked her. She met his eyes,"I'm glad I told you." She said quietly. Steve wanted to smile at her but he was too upset.

Instead, he walked over to her and kissed her forehead. "I'm always here if you need me, Wonder Twin." He told her. Reagan nodded her head,"Back at you, Wonder Twin." She whispered before he left her room to go back to his.

* * *

Jonathan pulled up in front of the Wheeler house before sending Reagan a look. "Is this absolutely necessary?" He questioned her. Reagan looked over at him and frowned,"Jonathan." She scolded. "What? We already took her home last night." He pointed out. "She's our friend." She argued. Jonathan gave her another look,"She threw up on you." He reminded her. Reagan sighed,"She probably doesn't remember that." She pointed out.

The two of them waited as Nancy caught sight of them, walking up to the car. "Hey guys." Nancy was confused as Reagan lowered the window so they could talk. She looked at Reagan,"Where's Steve?" She asked. Reagan frowned up at her,"You really don't remember?" She asked and Nancy shook her head at her. Reagan was afraid of that. "Get in." Reagan nodded to the backseat.

Nancy furrowed her brows but did what her friend said. The brunette opened the door, climbing into the backseat of Jonathan's car. "Did something bad happened?" She questioned. Jonathan looked at her,"You really don't remember anything?" He raised his brows, driving off in the direction of their school. Nancy blinked, looking at the two of them. She frowned,"I threw up on one of you, didn't I?" She asked. Reagan turned back to look at her and Nancy covered her face with one hand, completely embarrassed.

"I'm such an idiot." She realized.

Reagan shook her head,"You were drunk, Nancy. It's fine. And that's exactly what you're going to tell Steve." She instructed. Nancy narrowed her eyes,"What exactly happened between me and Steve? I remember spilling some punch and Steve being mad at me but... didn't he take me home?" She frowned, ashamed that the previous night was so foggy to her. Jonathan shook his head at her,"No, that was us." He explained, looking at Reagan.

She cringed,"I'm so screwed." Nancy said. Reagan studied the girl's expression, thinking about what her brother said about Nancy not loving him.

* * *

By the time they got to school, Reagan knew what she had to do.

"I'll see you at lunch." Jonathan said, leaning over to kiss Reagan. She turned her head, however, only accepting a kiss on the cheek. She didn't do this because of what happened last night but she did it so she could see Nancy's expression. Jonathan kissed her cheek, trying not to act hurt by the way she denied a kiss on the lips. He pulled away,"You okay?" He whispered to her. Reagan met his eyes and nodded. "Yeah." She told him.

Jonathan frowned,"It isn't too soon?" He asked, worried about what had happened between her and Billy. She shook her head at him,"It's not. I'll talk to you later." She promised and he nodded his head. Jonathan waved Nancy goodbye before heading to the school before his first class.

Nancy looked at Reagan,"Too soon?" She questioned, not up to date on what had happened. "I'll tell you about it later." Reagan told her but narrowed her eyes at her friend. "Can I ask you something?" Reagan questioned. Nancy furrowed her eyebrows,"We have class." She pointed out. "You're missing first period. We need to talk." Reagan decided and took Nancy's hand before she could head over to the school from the parking lot.

"Reagan–" Nancy began but was cut off when Reagan dragged her.

She decided not to fight Reagan, not only because they were friends and she trusted her, but because Reagan would be too weak to fight her back. Nancy followed Reagan as she was led to the back of Hawkins High School, where people rather hung out early in the morning before class. The bell rang and all of the other remaining students outside headed inside for class. "Reagan, we're both going to miss class–" "I don't care about that right now. Steve told me what your fight was about last night." She cut her friend off, meeting her eyes.

"Reagan..." Nancy said, only vaguely remembering that conversation between her and Steve. "Do you love Steve?" Reagan asked her. Nancy tensed up and averted her gaze. "Reagan, this is silly, you know I do." Nancy argued. "Then at least look at me if that's the truth." Reagan said, a little bit defeated her friend wasn't being honest with her. Nancy frowned and sighed before she finally lifted her eyes. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Reagan asked her. Nancy shrugged her shoulders,"I don't know... I guess– I don't really know how I feel. Steve's great but..." Nancy trailed off, shaking her head. She clearly didn't understand it. Or maybe, she just didn't want to. "You like Jonathan?" Reagan guessed. "What? No." Nancy denied.

Reagan looked at her,"I wouldn't be mad if you did." She said. Nancy shook her head,"No, that's ridiculous. You and Jonathan love each other." She pointed out. "We've never actually said it to each other." Reagan frowned. Nancy shook her head again, meeting Reagan's eyes. "But that's the thing... you guys don't need to." Nancy reached out, putting her hand on her friend's shoulder.

"I– Jonathan's... he's cute... and nice... and maybe part of me does... like him. But not really. Not in that way. I know I only feel that way because I know that I want what you and Jonathan have. Steve and me– the problem is I have always said and done what I believe is expected of me. And I thought that wouldn't happen when I was with him but... it did. I care about Steve but... maybe he's not the one I'm meant to be with. I don't know. I guess I don't really know what I want." Nancy confessed. Reagan nodded her head at her, giving her a soft smile. "I understand." She told Nancy.

Nancy smiled at her,"You're not mad at me? For sort of liking your boyfriend?" Nancy asked. Reagan shook her head,"I'm not mad. I get it. Jonathan's amazing." She chuckled. Nancy laughed a little and nodded her head. The smile faded as she looked back at Reagan. "I know you haven't told him that you love him but... don't think for one second he doesn't love you, okay? That boy is crazy about you. He was long before the two of you got together." Nancy told her.

"Really? You think so?" Reagan asked and Nancy chuckled before nodding her head. "I know so." She assured. "I remember the first time I realized it. Jonathan has always walked around like he's caught between hating the world and being afraid of it. Before, I never had really seen him... enjoying something. But when I saw him around you– he lit up completely." Nancy told her, making Reagan smile. She studied Reagan before smiling back. "I think he's been in love with you for a long time, Reagan. I think he's just scared to say it." Nancy said.

"I'm scared too." Reagan confessed, letting a slight chuckle out after she realized it. Nancy chuckled too and nodded her head. "I can tell." She pointed out. Nancy met her eyes,"Don't be." She told her. Reagan nodded her head a little. "I'll try." Reagan promised which only made Nancy laugh. She knew the girl still would be.

* * *

Steve sweated as he dribbled the basketball around the court. It was hard to focus, especially considering he was playing against the guy who had felt up his sister against her will. He stared Billy down, trying to get the ball past him but grunting as the boy blocked him.

"Harrington, right? I know your sister." Billy leered. "That's not what she told me." Steve quipped, dribbling the ball. Billy frowned, seeing his talk wasn't getting him the reaction he was hoping for. "I heard you used to run this school. That true?" Billy questioned. "King Steve, they _used_ to call you, huh? Then you turned bitch. Just like your sister."

He wanted to punch the boy but he knew better. "Hey, maybe you should just shut up and just play the game." Steve suggested. He moved, stealing the ball from Steve and sending him back on to the ground. Steve hit the ground, out of breath, helplessly watching as Billy shot the basketball into the hoop. He managed to get up but it was too late.

He wanted nothing more to wipe that smug look off of Billy's face but he was exhausted.

"Steve?" Steve blinked at the sound of Nancy's voice. The boy turned around to see her staring at him next to the bleachers. The coach whistled and Steve frowned, knowing they had a break, giving him no excuse not to talk with Nancy. He frowned, looking over at his coach before looking back at Nancy. "Dammit." The boy said and walked over to her. "Outside." Steve suggested and Nancy nodded her head.

The two exited the gym, finding a quiet place to talk. "What are you doing here?" Steve finally asked when he was sure they were alone. Nancy frowned at him,"What do you think?" She told him. "Where were you this morning? I missed first period." Nancy informed.

Steve simply shrugged his shoulders,"I figured Reagan and Jonathan would take you." He told her. "They did but that's not the point." Nancy said, a little upset that he would just abandon her after a fight. He didn't even call her to tell her he wasn't coming. She might have said some stupid things but Nancy believed that gave him no right to act stupid as well. "Then what's the point then?" Steve asked her.

Nancy narrowed her eyes,"We're a couple, Steve, we have to talk to each other–" She argued but he cut her off. "Talk to each other? Like we did last night? Because I remember you were doing most of the talking. Like apparently, uh... we killed Barb and I don't care, 'cause I'm bullshit... and our whole... our whole relationship is bullshit, and I mean, pretty much everything is just bullshit, bullshit, bullshit." He told her, clearly angry with her.

"Oh, yeah, also, you don't love me." Steve said both casually and bitterly. "I was drunk, Steve." She pointed out. "I don't remember any of that." Nancy added. "So that makes everything you said... it's what? Just bullshit too?" He inquired. "Yes." Nancy said but she was unsure, especially after talking with Reagan. "Well, then tell me." He asked.

"Tell you what?" She questioned.

"You love me." He sounded like he was begging.

"Really?" She asked him. Nancy could understand doubt from Reagan because the girl didn't know every detail about their relationship. But this was Steve. Nancy might not feel exactly what she was supposed to feel about him but that didn't mean she didn't love him. She cared about him a lot.

"Harrington!" Before they could continue their conversation, they were interrupted by one of the players. "Dude, we need you, man. That douchebag's killing us. Let's go!" He urged Steve. "Alright!" Steve yelled back. "Come on!" The player yelled.

He looked back at Nancy, seeing the expression on her face. He noticed that she had probably realized she couldn't say the words 'I love you' to him anymore and have him believe her. It was probably because Nancy didn't believe herself anymore now that they talked.

Steve nodded his head, walking away from her. "I think that you're bullshit." It was a petty thing for him to say but he was mad at her. He had spent so much of his time with her and now for him, all of it just seemed wasted.

* * *

"This is my future, Jonathan!" Reagan protested as the boy took the textbook away from her. Jonathan eyed the textbook,"I didn't know your future was Calculus." The boy joked as he set it down out of her reach. She pouted,"I have test." She pointed out. He shook his head,"Don't try that with me. I know it's in three weeks." he surprised her.

Reagan narrowed her eyes at him,"Who told you?" She asked. "Your brother." Jonathan smirked as he unwrapped his sandwich. "That traitor." Reagan cursed playfully, earning a chuckle from her boyfriend. "Eat your lunch." Jonathan instructed, gesturing to her bag. Reagan rolled her eyes as she reached into her backpack and brought out her Thermos.

The pair were soon joined by Nancy. "Can I sit with you guys?" The girl wondered. Jonathan nodded,"Hop on." He told her, his mouth full. Nancy smiled weakly as she joined the two of them on the hood of Jonathan's car. "How did it go with Steve?" Reagan asked her, opening her Thermos to reveal the leftover chicken and rice she had packed that morning.

She shook her head and let out a sigh. Jonathan noticed the look on Nancy's face,"Hey..." He said, putting down his sandwich. "You need to cut yourself some slack, okay? People say stupid things when they're wasted. Things they don't mean." He reminded her. Nancy looked over at him with a frown. "Yeah, but that's the thing..." She said, turning to Reagan. The girls shared a look before Nancy continued. "What if I did mean it? All this time, I've been trying so hard to pretend like everything's fine but it's not."

Nancy looked off into the distance at their school and the people in it. "I... I feel like there's this... I don't know, like this..." "Like there's this weight you're carrying around with you all the time?" Reagan guessed. Nancy looked back at her and nodded. "I get it. I feel that way." She assured her. "I feel it too." Jonathan nodded.

"Yeah, but it's different for you guys. Will came home." Nancy reminded them. Jonathan looked at her and nodded, not denying it. "Yeah." He agreed. "Yeah, he did–" "But he's not the same." Reagan spoke up, finally saying something both her and Jonathan knew but never wanted to say out loud.

Jonathan looked down at his hands,"We both try to be there for him, you know, to help him, but... I don't know." He frowned. "I mean, maybe... maybe things can't go back to the way they were."

"Doesn't that make you mad?" Nancy questioned, looking at the both of them. "Mad?" Jonathan asked. "Yeah, that those... those people who did this, who ruined so many lives, they just get away with it." She huffed out. "The people responsible for this... they're dead." Reagan pointed out. "Do you really believe that?" Nancy asked her.

An idea clicked in Nancy's head the minute she looked off again back into the distance. "Your mom's boyfriend." She realized, looking at Jonathan. "He works at RadioShack, right?" She asked. Jonathan nodded, a little confused at what that had to do with anything they were talking about. "Yeah." Jonathan said. "Why?"

"What are you thinking?" Reagan asked, studying Nancy's expression.

"Do you guys want to skip fourth period?" Nancy suddenly asked them.

* * *

"Jonathan? Reagan?" While they were hoping to sneak past the woman, Karen noticed the couple immediately. Karen was so used to seeing only Reagan because of her friendship to Nancy, it was good to see her other half, especially considering his little brother was friends with her son, Michael.

"Uh..." "Mrs. Wheeler!" Reagan cut her boyfriend off, smiling at the woman so she wouldn't detect anything out of the ordinary. "What a pleasant surprise." Karen greeted, looking at the two of them. "Yeah..." Jonathan said, looking at Nancy. "Uh, we have a test tomorrow. Reagan took the class last year so she's... helping." He was mumbling through his words but at least it was a convincing lie.

Karen nodded, looking at her daughter. "Oh, did you go shopping?" She asked Nancy. "Oh, uh, yeah. My Walkman broke." Nancy explained, looking to Reagan and Jonathan. "Anyway, we should go. It's a really big test." Nancy said. "Yeah." Reagan agreed.

"Stressful." Jonathan said. "Very." Nancy added, hating how awkward this interaction with her mother was. "Bye, Mrs. Wheeler." Reagan said as Nancy was quick to push her towards the stairs. "Bye! It's good to see you!" Karen called after the teenagers as they headed upstairs.

Nancy rushed to open the door of her room. "Ugh." She cringed, shaking her head. She looked at Reagan,"What am I going to tell her about Steve?" Nancy worried and Reagan reached her hand over. She squeezed her shoulder,"Don't worry about that now." She told her. Jonathan took off his coat and the other two followed.

"Everybody clear about the plan?" He asked, looking at the girls. They both nodded their heads. Nancy moved towards her bed and took a seat. "Okay, are you sure about this?" Reagan asked her. "No." Nancy admitted. She moved the phone closer to her bed before dialing the number.

She waited for the woman to pick up. When she did, Nancy panicked a little. She looked at Reagan however and regained some of her composure. "Mrs. Holland. Hi, it's, um... it's Nancy." She said. "I, uh... I need to tell you something. Something about Barb. About that night. I, uh... I haven't been honest with you." She said and Jonathan nodded her head, assuring Nancy she sounded believable.

"But I can't tell you here on the phone. Meet me tomorrow, Forrest Hills Park, 9:00 a.m. Don't tell anyone. And don't call me back here. It's dangerous." She instructed. "I just need you to trust me. Please." Nancy was quick to hang up the phone after that.

* * *

"I lied and told my mom I was staying over at your place."

"I lied and told my mom I was staying over at _your_ place!"

Jonathan blinked at them, not understanding how the two girls were so content over telling a similar lie. He presumed it must be a girl thing but that seemed like a kind of sexist thought, so he classified it as a Reagan and Nancy thing.

He looked over at Nancy as she moved open up the door to the backseat. "Do you need any help?" He asked, referring to her bag. She shook her head,"I'm good." She said, throwing her bag into the backseat before climbing in herself. "Did you see your mom?" Nancy asked Jonathan, closing the door.

The boy shook his head,"No, she was sleeping. But I left a note. I lied and told her I was staying over at Reagan's place as well." He said jokingly and Nancy rolled her eyes while Reagan chuckled a little. Nancy looked at the two of them and then frowned, realizing what she was asking of both of them. "You guys don't have to do this, you know." She told them.

"Stop saying that." Reagan said sincerely, looking back at her.

* * *

Steve turned on the shower, letting the water hit his face. He was already exhausted after yesterday's practice but now it felt like he was running on fumes. It didn't help that Billy was constantly showing him up. As much as he hated to admit it, Steve was a little worried about his position on the team. He would hate if it changed because of Billy.

He was suddenly made aware he wasn't alone in the shower. He blinked and wiped some of the water in his eyes, trying not to look at Tommy or Billy. But unfortunately, they wouldn't leave him alone. "Don't sweat it, Harrington." Billy said, practically reading Steve's thoughts. "Today's just not your day, man." He added.

"Yeah. Not your week." Tommy agreed mockingly. "You and the princess break up for one day and she's already running off with the freaks."

That didn't make any sense but now that he thought of it, he hadn't seen Nancy, Reagan, or Jonathan all day. He overheard his sister making plans to sleepover at Nancy's that night but had no idea she bailed on classes.

"Oh, shit. You don't know. I'm surprised considering one of the freaks is your twin sister." Tommy commented. "They skipped yesterday. Still haven't shown. But that just must be a coincidence, right?" Tommy laughed and Steve frowned at what the boy was suggested. He knew his sister and he had gotten to know her boyfriend as well. Not to mention, Steve knew Nancy.

Billy looked over at Steve as the other boy was shampooing his hair. "Don't take it too hard, man. A pretty boy like you has got nothing to worry about. Plenty of bitches in the sea." He smirked as he turned off Steve's shower when the boy was finished. "Am I right?" Billy asked, grabbing his towel before slapping Steve's back.

"I'll be sure to leave you some." Billy said as he left.

Steve kept his cool before turning his shower back on. He washed his hair, taking a long time on purpose. Steve tried to forget what Billy had said but he kept picturing what must have happened between him and Reagan. He blinked, water dripping down his face as he took a shower.

Many minutes had passed, enough time for Steve to presume everyone had left. "God, will he ever... SHUT UP?!" He finally let out a scream, letting all of his built up anger out.

He grabbed his towel, turning off the shower before walking out, wrapping the towel around his waist. "Oh, God!" Carol shrieked and turned around immediately. Steve blinked in surprise,"Carol, what the fuck are you doing in the boy's locker room?!" He yelled at her.

Carol quickly covered her eyes. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I was looking for Tommy." She explained in a rush. Steve frowned, looking around the locker room that had since cleared out. He was the only one on the team left. Steve adjusted the towel wrapped around his waist,"He must've left already." Steve shrugged.

She frowned,"But I made him promise to wait for me..." She trailed off, lowering her hands from her face. "Can I turn around or–" "Just, look away, for now. Please." Steve told her. "It's not like we're exactly on the best terms." He reminded.

"Did... did Reagan–" "She did." He nodded his head, looking at her. "Thank you for stopping him." Steve said gently. Carol smiled small,"I'm stronger than I look." She chuckled a little but her smile washed away quickly. "Me and Reagan... we're never going to be friends again, are we?" She wondered out loud.

Steve almost felt pity for her, despite the way she had always treated his sister. "Yeah. You're never going to be friends again." He told her the truth. Carol had tears in her eyes and was thankful she wasn't facing the boy. She didn't want him to tell Reagan about that.

"It only makes sense, I guess." Carol spoke, sounding like a bit of a snob, but she didn't mean it that way. "Will you at least tell her that I'm glad she's okay?" Carol asked him. Steve nodded his head,"I will." He agreed.

Carol nodded her head, letting out a shaky breath. She had let herself get rather emotional there for a second. "I'll leave so you can get changed. Uh... see you." Carol didn't know what to say so she just made her way out of the locker room. The redhead stopped before she left, however. "Steve?" She said. "Yeah?" He asked.

"She really was... a good friend. And I know I wasn't always to her but– if I did anything right... I did that right... right?" She asked. Steve knew the answer she wanted to hear but wasn't sure if he wanted to give it to her. "I know you don't like me... but–" "Right." He said, saying the thing she needed to hear. Carol nodded her head, smiling. "Thanks, Steve. I know we're not friends but... you're a good one." She let out a weak chuckle before walking away again.

Steve frowned, knowing that Carol was one person he disliked a lot. But he couldn't let her leave just like that. "Carol, wait!" He called, stopping the redhead before she left completely. "Yeah?" She called back. Steve let out a sigh, not believing he was actually going to say this to her. "Thank you! For what you did... I mean it. Thank you." He called back, ensuring the girl would be smiling when she left the locker room.


	5. The Strongest

Reagan never believed that a park could cause her anxiety before.

It had a playground as well, which somehow made her even more nervous. Jonathan rubbed his hands on his knees as Nancy checked her watch. She could tell it was already passed the time Nancy had told Mrs. Holland to meet her but she decided to check to make sure. "It's fifteen past." Nancy announced to her friends, looking over at them. "Yeah. I know." Jonathan responded, looking around. "Just– give 'em time." He suggested.

"That guy. There." Reagan's anxiety proved to be helpful as she noticed a man reading the morning paper. Nancy turned her head in that direction, eying the man, noticing what Reagan had. "What?" Jonathan asked them. "He just... just talked to himself." Nancy explained. The guy noticed the three were looking and lowered his newspaper, causing the teenagers to all avert their gazes.

Jonathan looked around the park at all the people were in it and suddenly he was becoming as anxious as his girlfriend clearly was. Nancy swallowed a lump in her throat, recognizing the people around the park and identifying ones that weren't there to enjoy the autumn day. "I think we should go." She said in a hurry.

"Don't have to tell me twice." Reagan was quick to stand up. She reached out and Jonathan took her hand as they all began walking back to the boy's car. They tried to be fast and Jonathan looked back to see someone was already trailing after them. His grip tightened on his girlfriend, only letting go to get his car keys out of his pocket.

Once they reached his car, Jonathan climbed into the driver's seat immediately. Reagan got into the seat beside him as Nancy climbed into the back once again. Jonathan put his key in the ignition but the car wouldn't start. All of them were confused but the only one to panic was Reagan. She nearly jumped out of her seat when the man who was reading the newspaper knocked on the car window at her side.

"Trouble with your car, miss? I can give you three a lift if you like." The man offered, trying to sound friendly but he just ended up freaking the teenagers out. "Jonathan..." Nancy breathed out, leaning forward to see someone was approaching his window as well. All three of them noticed at the same time the man with the dog who was approaching the front of the car. They whipped their heads around, noticing the woman who stood behind.

They were surrounded.

Another knock came from the man at Reagan's window. "You're sure you don't need that ride?" He asked her before looking at Jonathan.

* * *

She let out a shaky breath which made Jonathan reach out to touch her back gently. "Are you okay?" He asked Reagan. The blonde had a little trouble breathing but she knew it wasn't because of her asthma. "I'm fine." She insisted but she didn't sound convincing. Nancy frowned at her friend, whipping her head around to look at the camera that was watching them. She still couldn't believe they stuck them all in an interrogation room as if they were the ones who were guilty.

Nancy stood up from her chair, glaring at the camera. "Hey!" She shouted, surprising her friends. "Hey, assholes!" Nancy continued. "Let us out of here!" She demanded, the door instantly being opened after. Dr. Owens was surprised by the girl's feistiness. "Oh." He said, almost sheepishly. It only made Nancy narrow her eyes at him.

"Not very pleasant in here, is it?" Owens looked around as Jonathan stood up, still keeping his hand on Reagan's back. She turned to him, giving him a look that silently told him not to worry. He lowered his hand and instead grabbed a hold of her hand. He wasn't letting her go that easily. "Sorry about that. Hospitality's not our strong suit. You know, scientists and all." The doctor explained.

He had this uneasy calmness about him which only concerned Reagan more. It only seemed to piss Nancy off. Owens looked at the brunette, noticing she wouldn't tolerate idle chatter. "Yeah. Okay." He said, checking his watch. "You up for a little walk?" It was phrased as a question but the teenagers knew they had no choice. Owens led the three out of the interrogation room. "I'm assuming you're behind me." The man said simply.

Owens led the group down a hallway. "Men of science have made abundant mistakes of every kind." He quoted. "George Sarton said that. You guys know who George Sarton is? Doesn't really matter." Owns dismissed. Reagan frowned,"History of science." She spoke up. Owens stopped briefly,"Clever girl." He commented before continuing his walking. "The point is, mistakes have been made. Yes." Owens admitted.

"Mistakes?" Nancy cut in, finding it unbearable to hear that the death of her closest friend was a simple mistake. "Yes." Owens answered. "You killed Barbara." She pointed out. "Abundant mistakes, but, the men involved with those mistakes, the ones responsible for what happened to your brother and Miss Holland's death, they're gone. They're gone, and for better for worse, I'm the schmuck they brought in to make things better." Owens said.

The three of them couldn't help but look around the lab. Reagan noticed they were testing pumpkins and she couldn't imagine why. She knew that Flo had told her about some complaints made in the pumpkin patches recently about the potential poisoning of crops but Reagan had dismissed that as just more paperwork to file when she went back to work.

"But I can't make things better without your help." Owens told them as he led them around a corner. "You mean without us shutting up?" Nancy retorted, sounding quite bitter. "She's tough, this one. I couldn't handle it myself. I would've picked clever too. You guys been together long?" He asked, looking at Jonathan and Reagan. Jonathan looked down at his hand, almost like he was making sure he still had a good hold of Reagan. "Almost a year." Jonathan answered, seeing no harm in it.

"Wanna see what really killed your friend?" Owens reached the door, opening it up and letting the three teenagers in. He looked around the room,"Teddy, I brought you an audience today. I hope you don't mind." He said. "The more the merrier, sir." Teddy told the man. Owens turned back to the teenagers, waiting to see their reaction. "I'd call it one hell of a mistake. Wouldn't you?" Owens asked simply.

He was treating it so casually meanwhile Nancy was staring at the gat with wide eyes. It sent her straight back to remembering the events of the year prior. She remembered what it was like in that world and recalled her time there spent with Reagan. Nancy looked over, meeting her friend's eyes. The two girls were both thinking of the same thing.

Nancy and Reagan were in the Upside Down together. They had seen the other side like Will had. Reagan's breathing started to become irregular as she felt herself panicking over the reminder of trauma. She reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out her inhaler, shaking it a little.

"See, the thing is, we can't seem to erase our mistake... but we can stop it from spreading. Like, it's like pulling weeds." Owens muse, stuffing his hands into the pocket of his lab coat. "But imagine for a moment if a foreign state, let's say, the Soviets... if they heard about our mistake... do you think they would even consider that a mistake?" The teenagers knew what Dr. Owens was referring to. It was still the Cold War after all.

Owens studied them,"What if they tried to replicate that?" He mentioned, immediately worrying Reagan more. "The more attention we bring to ourselves, the more... the more people like the Hollands know the truth, the more likely that scenario becomes." He pointed out. Owens looked over at the man in the protective suit with the flamethrower, knowing what he was going to do with it. "You see why I have to stop the truth from spreading too. Just– same as those weeds there." Owens pointed his finger.

"By whatever means necessary." Owens finished.

The flamethrower was ignited, burning the gate. A sound of screeching filled the air as if the gate was alive and didn't like the heat, and technically, that was pretty much what was happening.

"So, we understand each other now, don't we?" Owens asked as he moved behind the teenagers.

Reagan lifted her inhaler up to her lips. She breathed in slowly, trying to calm herself down, knowing that when she panicked she could cause an attack. Nancy eyed her, regretting asking the girl along to do this.

Owens noticed Reagan's inhaler, smiling as if he remembered something. "You know..." He began, gaining the girl's attention. The blonde lowered her inhaler and looked back at him. "I remember this kid growing up. Real nice. He had trouble breathing too. Of course, he wasn't lucky enough to have what you have." He recounted, gesturing to her inhaler.

"It was such a shame. Poor mother." He said before patting her back lightly. "Don't lose it." His words sent chills up her spine. Owens had a friendly enough voice but she couldn't help remember the institution he worked for. They would do anything to keep their secrets and Owens had made that quite clear.

She kept a tight grip on her inhaler. "I won't." She vowed, turning her head back to meet the man's eyes.

* * *

Jonathan wanted to keep his cool after leaving Hawkins Lab but he ended up in a pensive mood. When he had driven far enough away, he decided to look back at Nancy. Her purse was opened and the girl had a tape recorder in her hand. Jonathan was so worried that they would've found it in there but Nancy's idea had worked out. She replayed the recorded conversation they had with Owens, listening to it carefully.

Nancy hoped more than anything that it would be enough.

"You still want to do this?" He asked her, concerned about what her answer would be. She looked up at him, meeting Jonathan's eyes. She could tell he was worried, especially about Reagan. She would've been jealous if she didn't understand why. Reagan was the most vulnerable out of the three of them.

But she couldn't let that get in her way. "Let's burn that lab to the ground." She decided firmly. Nancy wasn't going to chicken out due to a few veiled threats. Barb had been her best friend since preschool. She was going to get the justice Barb deserved.

He frowned, knowing he was in too deep to argue with her. His gaze shifted to Reagan and Jonathan wondered if she felt the same way. "What about you?" He inquired. Nancy had looked over as well which made Reagan uncomfortable. She could tell both of them were expecting different answers from her.

She looked down at her hand, seeing that her fingers were still tightly wrapped around her inhaler. Reagan turned her head, lifting her eyes to the road. She could see they were leaving Hawkins but she knew they still had time to turn back. While Nancy was their friend and they both cared about her, Reagan knew if she were to say that she no longer wanted to go through with this, Jonathan would turn the car around right then and there. She didn't like that kind of pressure.

"Nancy's right." Reagan finally spoke up. Her voice was quiet and hesitant but Nancy still smiled at the support. Reagan placed the inhaler in her hand back into the pocket of her coat. While Reagan was more than willing to do this for Barb, she knew there was someone else she was doing this for.

 _Eleven_. Reagan was going to do this for Eleven.

Reagan never got the chance to know her like Mike or his friends. But she kept thinking about that little girl with the shaved head in the hallway of the Byers household. Eleven knew nothing about Reagan yet she was kind enough to tell her that Will's disappearance wasn't her fault when Reagan thought that it was. Reagan remembered hugging the girl and knowing that Eleven wasn't used to it. She didn't need to say it out loud for Reagan to understand. Eleven had never received the love she deserved growing up and Reagan knew it was because of Hawkins Lab. It was because of the people who worked there.

They took that girl's childhood away from her. They took Barbara's future away from her. Things that no one could ever get back. But if they could get justice, maybe things could get better. Nancy could finally get closure for herself and for Barb's family. Reagan could finally rest knowing no other children like Eleven would come out of that laboratory.

"Let them burn." This time Reagan's voice was solid as she spoke. She was decided.

* * *

When Nancy checked her watch, she was surprised to see how late it was. She whipped her head around to study Jonathan. The boy seemed to be driving steadily, his eyes focused on the road ahead of him. Nancy blinked in a mix of emotions. "You are full of surprises." She beamed, gaining his attention. Jonathan raised his brows, looking over at her perplexed expression. He shrugged his shoulders casually like it was no big deal, and to him, it truly wasn't. "Not everyone's a morning bird, Nance." Jonathan pointed out.

She laughed sheepishly, knowing he was right. "And not everyone is a night owl." She added, remembering the third person in the car. Nancy shifted her gaze to the back seat where Reagan was sleeping. After their last stop, she had asked Nancy to switch seats with her so she could get some rest. The blonde had passed out almost immediately. Jonathan looked back, smiling fondly at his sleeping beauty.

His smile faded however and Nancy furrowed her brows at the sight. Jonathan turned his head back towards the road, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. "Something wrong, Jonathan...?" Nancy was hesitant to ask. She knew he didn't quite like talking about his feelings, especially with her. He shook his head lightly,"It's nothing... it's just– this is probably the longest she slept in weeks." Jonathan remarked with a frown.

Nancy began to understand what he meant. Her eyes softened as she looked at him. "School." She put it simply like it wasn't a problem that Jonathan had been worrying about for months.

"School." He repeated, looking out at the road. Jonathan let out a low sigh before shaking his head. "I'm freaking out, Nancy." Jonathan confessed. He wouldn't have done it if Nancy wasn't a friend that he trusted or if Reagan had been awake. Nancy shook her head,"Jonathan... don't be. I mean, things are going to work out–" "Like they did between you and Steve?" His words hurt her and Jonathan knew that.

The boy didn't turn his head to look at her. He didn't want to apologize. But Jonathan knew that he probably should've. Nancy didn't say anything, looking down at her hands. She pursed her lips together, knowing that he was right. It hadn't worked out for her and Steve. She knew it wasn't because of what Jonathan was worrying about. She knew it was partly because of Jonathan.

"You're an idiot." She found herself saying. Jonathan was surprised by Nancy's comment, turning his head to look at her. The girl frowned angrily, looking up, her eyes focusing on the road. "You are. You've got someone who loves you. And you love her. Why are you so afraid?" Nancy questioned. "You don't understand." He argued but Nancy just chuckled at him. "I don't understand?" She asked him, finally turning to look at him. She raised her brows at him. "Jonathan... I'm your friend. I'm not an idiot, okay? I know. I know what you're really scared of but you can't be. You can't be scared of being happy, Jonathan." Nancy told him.

Jonathan shook his head a little,"It's not that simple." He pointed out. "Why can't it be?" She asked, trying to meet his eyes but he wasn't looking at her anymore. Jonathan shook his head again but this time it was more firm. "I really don't want to talk about this right now." He decided. "I should've never said anything." Jonathan said.

She frowned at him, disappointed that he was pulling away from her.

"No... I shouldn't have called you an idiot. I get it, Jonathan, I do. I know you don't want to lose her. I know you don't want Reagan to move away. I don't want that either. She's one of my closest friends– my best friend. I hate it as much as you do..." She found herself trailing off. Nancy turned her head, her eyes falling on the sleeping girl she was discussing. Nancy hadn't realized it until that moment how much she would miss Reagan if she went away.

A sudden sadness fell over her, enough to quiet her. Jonathan was confused at first, turning to look at her. When he saw Nancy's face he understood what she was feeling. They both didn't want to lose her but knew that eventually, they would. Reagan couldn't stay in Hawkins forever, just like they couldn't either.

"Can we stop, Jonathan?" Nancy asked him suddenly. He nodded his head to her gently, not wanting to say no to her when he could tell she was feeling fragile. Nancy gave him a small smile to thank him. "We'll stop at the next motel." He decided, knowing he couldn't drive all night. Nancy nodded her head, remaining quiet as she looked out at the road.

It wasn't long before they reached a motel. Jonathan parked the car, letting out a sigh. The boy was finally tired. He got out of the driver's seat, slamming the door behind him. He looked over at Nancy who exited the car. "I'll wake her." Jonathan informed before opening the door to the back seat. Reagan was still curled up in a blissful slumber and he almost didn't want to wake her. He knew everything she had been through over the past few days, he wanted her to sleep well. She deserved it.

But he knew he should wake her. Jonathan compromised with himself, however, reaching in and gently taking the girl into his arms. "Rea..." He spoke quietly into her ear, pulling her back into consciousness. "Hmm?" Reagan whispered, her eyes still shut as he moved his arm underneath her legs. "Come on, Rea." Jonathan said as he carried her out of the back seat.

"Jon?" She said, finally opening her eyes. Reagan met his eyes in a sleepy gaze and something in Jonathan's chest tightened. It went so tight that he felt like that part of him was going to burst. It was in that moment he was suddenly reminded of everything he felt about her. He loved her beyond anything he could put into words.

And maybe that was the problem. Words never felt enough for Jonathan.

He leaned down, pressing his forehead against hers. "Wake up, sleepy." Jonathan smirked gently at her. She groaned lightly but smiled tiredly. "Fine." She lamented, gesturing for him to set her down. He helped her back on to her feet, carefully making sure she wouldn't fall over due to her grogginess. Reagan blinked a times before rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. "Are we there?" She questioned.

"Halfway." Nancy informed, bag in hand. She had Reagan's bag as well and passed it over to the girl. "Good to see you returned to the land of the living." The brunette joked, earning a grin from the other girl. Reagan stretched out her limbs, taking her bag from Nancy. "I don't know about you guys but I feel much better." She stated. Jonathan rolled his eyes playfully,"I doubt that will last long." He joked.

Jonathan got his bag from the car and made his way over to the motel. He entered first, the two girls following behind him. He approached the front desk slowly, eyeing the woman behind it who was preoccupied with the television show she was watching. Nancy blinked, surprised that the woman hadn't noticed the three of them already. She decided to tap the bell on the desk though it did little to gain the woman's attention.

She furrowed her brows, looking at Reagan who shrugged her shoulders. "We'd like a... uh, a room." Nancy said, unsure if she was being heard or not. "We got those." The woman confirmed, her eyes still glued to the TV. "You want a single or a double?" She questioned them.

"Double." All three teenagers said at the same time. The woman slurped her drink as she turned to look at the three of them. Reagan furrowed her brows, confused by the look the woman was giving them. Luckily, Reagan was often too naive to piece together what the woman had been suggesting with a mere gaze.

Once they had their rooming sorted out, Reagan took the keys for safe keeping. She unlocked the door to their room, hardly impressed by the sight. Nancy wasn't all that impressed either with the room. Jonathan looked around, finding it to be rather decent. He could tell that despite the lack of high quality, there didn't seem to be any bugs which he took as a good sign.

He looked over at Reagan,"You're not going to start cleaning, are you?" Jonathan joked, noticing her demeanor. She looked back at him and scoffed. "What– no! Me? I– I wouldn't do that." She dismissed with a loud laugh, smiling to cover up the ring of truth in his joke. She had been fortunate enough to travel as a young child and Steve could vouch that she had been known to clean a hotel room in the past.

But she tried to remember that it wasn't that bad. Besides, Jonathan seemed comfortable and Reagan trusted his judgment.

"Dibs on the bathroom?" Nancy asked them as she set down her bag on one of the beds, opening it to produce her nightgown. Jonathan looked at Reagan who nodded her head and then looked back at Nancy. "Go ahead." He told her, allowing the girl to move past him towards the bathroom. Nancy locked herself inside, leaving the two of them alone.

As soon as the sound of the shower came on, Jonathan let out a low sigh. He thought of his conversation with Nancy. Reagan went to sit down on the bed, kicking off her shoes. She breathed in and out, staring at the wall. Jonathan moved over to the bed, sitting on the other side. He reached out his hand, deciding to take hers. She was quick to move her hand away much to his surprise.

Reagan blinked, not realizing she rejected his touch until she met his eyes. "I–" She was in shock, knowing she had never done that to him before. "I'm sorry." Reagan whispered. "I was thinking about–" "Billy?" Jonathan swallowed a harsh lump in his throat. He felt like it was his fault. He had left her alone after all. Jonathan should've known better, especially after the way Billy had treated her in the hallway at school.

"It's– I'm sorry. It's like it's in the back of my head... and just when I think it's gone– it's back. Like I'm back there... on that bed, feeling sorry for myself and realizing how stupid I was to let him help me–" She cut herself off as soon as Jonathan reached out to her, placing his hand on the back of her neck. "It wasn't your fault." He insisted. "No– I– I just let him take me to that room–" Reagan argued but Jonathan shook his head.

He stared into her eyes,"It was never once your fault. I... I should've been there. I shouldn't have left you alone. If Carol hadn't been there..." Jonathan lowered his gaze and he shook his head again. He moved his hand away,"It's my fault." He said quietly. Reagan looked at him before shaking her head. "No. It's Billy's fault. He's an asshole." She pointed out, trying to laugh it off with a halfhearted chuckle.

But it didn't work. She could tell that Jonathan was taking the blame for what happened on Halloween.

She wanted to make him feel better but he wasn't even looking at her anymore. Reagan moved onto her knees, wrapping her arms around him from behind. She kissed his neck gently before leaning her head on his shoulder. "Have I ever told you how lucky I am to have you?" Reagan told him. "You're my best friend. You're my boyfriend. You're my favorite person in the entire world. In the entire universe." She continued. Jonathan smiled small, turning his head to face her. He leaned in, kissing her gently. "You're pretty great too." He whispered, smirking as Reagan pulled away.

"Ha. Ha." She said, leaning back on the bed. Jonathan moved over to her, climbing on top of her. "You're pretty much my favorite person in the entire universe too." He told her, lifting his hand to brush away a few locks of her hair. Reagan smiled up at him gently. "Good. I was worried there for a second." She joked light.

"Don't be." Jonathan whispered, leaning in to kiss her again.

The shower turned off and Nancy stepped out of the bathroom wrapped only in a towel. She cringed slightly over at her two friends making out. "Seriously? I leave the room for ten minutes." She sighed, moving over to grab her pajamas from her bag. Jonathan moved away from Reagan, clearly embarrassed. While he tended to be very affectionate, Jonathan never liked it when he and Reagan had an audience. Reagan chuckled a little,"Sorry." She told her.

Nancy smirked before shaking her head,"I get it. As long as you two aren't jumping each other's bones when I'm back." She requested, walking back into the bathroom with her change of clothes. Jonathan waited until the door was shut before groaning. He buried his face in a pillow,"Why does this always happen?" He lamented. Reagan laughed,"Because we're teenagers? I'm sure we'll get all the privacy we need in the future." She pointed out, getting off the bed.

She opened her bag, deciding to change. Jonathan moved his head, watching her as she took her pajamas out of her bag. "The future?" He asked her. Reagan looked at him, almost scared she said something wrong. "Yeah." She brushed it off. Jonathan smiled as she turned around to change,"You really think of us living together one day?" The boy questioned. Reagan shrugged her shoulders,"One day." She kept her response short, terrified of freaking him out. But Jonathan seemed to like the idea.

When Nancy came back out of the bathroom, she was dressed for bed. She looked over at her two friends to see they have dressed for bed also. She let out a breath of relief,"Thank God." She whispered to herself as she moved over to her bed. "Let's call it a night, shall we?" Nancy decided as she moved over the covers and climbed into the bed. Reagan frowned a little, knowing her nap had made her less exhausted than the other two. But she didn't want to stop Jonathan or Nancy from getting a good night's sleep.

"Nance... uh, on or off?" Jonathan said, referring to the switch once he was in bed. Nancy looked over at him, grinning a little at the familiarity of it. He blinked, a little confused. "What?" He asked her. "Nothing." She said, a little embarrassed. "Just... déjà vu." She admitted.

He chuckled a little, remembering. "Yeah." He agreed. Reagan watched the moment the two of them shared, feeling like she almost wasn't there in that motel room or when that actually happened.

"Don't you think it's weird?" Nancy asked them. "What?" Jonathan said. "How the three of us only seem to hang out when the world's about to end?" She shrugged. Reagan furrowed her brows,"It's not going to end." She pointed out. Nancy let out a low breath,"Feels like it." The girl sighed, holding her elbows.

She was struck with an idea and leaned over the table separating the two beds. "Still have yours?" Nancy smirked at the two. Jonathan grinned as he leaned over. "Yeah." He replied, showing his hand. Reagan leaned over her boyfriend, reaching for the table. She chuckled as she laid her palm for them to see but her smile faded when she realized something.

"Oh, mine's bigger." Nancy mused. Jonathan laughed at how happy she sounded,"Congratulations." He told her. "Thanks." Nancy smiled. Reagan stared at her hand,"Mine's the smallest." She closed her hand into a fist, moving it away.

Nancy realized what she was doing when she looked over at Reagan. The brunette frowned, hiding her gaze from Jonathan so he wouldn't pick up on anything. She moved her hand away, lying back down on her bed. Nancy gripped the pillow,"What happened?" She wondered out loud.

Jonathan narrowed his eyes at Nancy, not noticing his girlfriend's expression as she moved to lay back down next to him. "What do you mean?" He asked Nancy. "To us?" Nancy clarified, meeting his eyes. It was suddenly clear to him she was talking to him. "After everything, you just... disappeared." She confessed.

"Will needed me. And Reagan–" He stopped as he looked at her. Jonathan frowned,"You know, you and I were never–"

"Friends?"

Her question silenced him. Nancy rolled over, facing away from him. "I want them off." Nancy declared, making Jonathan's heart lower. He didn't mean to offend her by suggesting that they were never friends. He shook his head, turning off the lights and turning over to face Reagan.

She had her eyes closed, making Jonathan believe that she had drifted off while he and Nancy were talking. He didn't realize she was faking it. He shut his eyes, deciding to go to sleep as well. Reagan waited until enough time had passed to open her eyes. She turned her head, recognizing her boyfriend's sleepy face.

Reagan laid in bed, thinking to herself before it all became too much for her. She slipped out of the covers and moved over to her bag, grabbing her slippers and her robe. She got the slippers onto her feet before putting on her robe.

It was a bad idea to leave the room by herself. They were all far from home and in an unfamiliar place. But she decided to leave anyway. She made sure to take one set of the room keys with her just in case. Reagan wrapped her arms around herself as she wandered the deserted hallways. It was too late at night for anyone to be up and yet there she was.

Unable to sleep.

"Reagan?" She blinked at the sound of her name and looked around to see if anyone was there. Her heart stopped at the sight of her best friend. "You scared me half to death, Nance." Reagan snapped at her, not meaning to sound so harsh.

Nancy frowned at her,"You left." She pointed out. Reagan crossed her arms over her chest,"Well, I didn't think you were awake. I'm sorry if I woke you." She pushed past her, moving down the hall. Nancy noticed quickly that she was heading towards the exit.

"Where are you going? Reagan!" Nancy called after her. She pursued Reagan, trying to catch up with the girl. "Getting some air!" Reagan answered as she pushed open the doors. Cold air hit her face as she stepped out into the night. She blinked and lowered her head, breathing heavily.

Reagan stopped, making it easier for Nancy to catch up with her. The brunette settled besides her best friend, furrowing her brows at her. "What in the hell are you thinking?" Nancy questioned, whipping her head around. "It's freezing out here!" She pointed out. "Well, I wasn't, okay?" Reagan said simply. "Wasn't what?" Nancy asked. "Thinking." Reagan frowned as she began walking away again.

"Reagan! Reagan, get back here!" Nancy yelled at her as Reagan refused to turn around. Nancy ran and grabbed the girl's shoulder, forcing her to turn around to face her. "What do you want, Nancy! Do you want my boyfriend, is that it? Because that's what it feels like. And if it isn't– do you want Barbara back? Do you want her back opposed to me?" She asked and Nancy was surprised at the tears that had come up in Reagan's eyes.

She shook her head, lowering her gaze. "I want Barb back more than anything." Nancy whispered sadly. "But that's never going to happen. Though just because I want my best friend back doesn't mean that you're not my best friend, Reagan. You are. I promise that you are. And you know that I would never do anything to get in between you and Jonathan, right? I would never. You two love each other and even if you weren't together that wouldn't change anything. You have to trust me on that, don't you? Please... just come back inside." She begged.

Her eyes met Reagan's and she could see how hurt she was. Nancy reached out and grabbed her friend's hand. She gave Reagan a tight squeeze, desperate for her to no longer be angry with her. "Say you'll come back inside?" Nancy asked. Reagan nodded her head slowly.

Nancy led Reagan back inside the motel where they both warmed up. She let go of Reagan's hand, studying as the blonde averted her gaze. "Are you okay now?" She questioned, trying to sound gentle but she sounded more concerned than anything. Reagan sighed, looking over at Nancy. "It's just–" She let out another breath before continuing.

"The last time all three of us were together was when we were hunting a big scary monster." She began. "I know we aren't now but... but it feels like the same thing. And I feel just as unprepared as I was then and I really hate feeling unprepared. I really hate feeling like I'm weaker than you and Jonathan. And I am. I'm the weakest out of the three of us." Reagan shook her head, not wanting to continue.

"You're the strongest." Nancy argued which made Reagan laugh bitterly. "Please, Nance, we all know that it's you." Reagan pointed out.

"No... no, it's not. I like to think that it is me but it's not. You are by far the kindest, bravest and strongest person that I know. Last year, you were terrified but you stuck with us anyways. No one was more afraid to fight than you. But you did anyway. You fought. And while you might think that being afraid makes you weaker, it doesn't. Trust me when I say that it doesn't." Nancy was desperately trying to convince her of this and it seemed like it was working.

Reagan smiled small at her. "I do trust you." She mentioned, making Nancy laugh. A few tears had made their way to her eyes and Nancy hugged Reagan before the other girl could notice them. "You are my best friend, you know that? You are. I know I don't say it often but... I just really hate the idea of... moving on." Nancy whispered, thinking about Barb.

The two of them remained in that hug for a while. Reagan smoothed down Nancy's hair,"I know you miss her. I'm sorry about what happened to her." She said quietly. Nancy nodded and pulled away. "Do you think... do you think you can sleep in my bed tonight with me? It's okay if you want to stay with Jonathan, I get it... I just really could use a friend right now." Nancy felt terrible for asking anything of Reagan after the way she made her feel but she knew she needed Reagan to be there for her, as selfish as that way.

But being the most selfless person that Nancy knew, Reagan nodded her head with a soft smile. "Of course. Whatever you need." Reagan assured her. Nancy let out a breath of relief and pulled her back into a hug. "Thank you." Nancy whispered as she closed her eyes, thinking about her conversation in that car with Jonathan. She would really miss Reagan when it was time for her to go off to a college or university.


End file.
